Authorities in central Florida say a routine traffic stop escalated into a major emergency response after a man claimed he had a “dirty bomb” in his truck, prompting road closures, a multi-agency investigation and the deployment of explosive experts before officials determined the device was a hoax, the Independent reports.
Police arrested Benjamin Johnson, 43, after the incident unfolded near a Publix supermarket in Davenport, where Haines City officers stopped his Chevrolet Silverado in connection with a reported crash. Officers said Johnson refused repeated commands to get out of the vehicle before he was forcibly removed. A search of the truck revealed firearms, ammunition, speed loaders, night-vision goggles, knives, thermal scopes, a battering ram, cannabis and THC-infused gummies.
The encounter intensified when Johnson, held in a patrol car, told officers there was a “dirty bomb” inside the truck. A yellow plastic container secured by chains and locks and marked with a radioactive warning label was discovered. Authorities immediately sealed off the area, shut down nearby roads and summoned the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives along with state hazardous-materials teams. A Florida State Fire investigator confirmed the container was giving off radioactivity, escalating concerns before the bomb squad arrived.
Investigators later determined the container held a Moisture Density Gauge, a soil-testing instrument that emits only low-level radiation and carries far less exposure than a medical X-ray. Officials said the device did not pose a threat to the public but was improperly handled and had triggered the emergency response because of Johnson’s bomb claim.
Johnson faces charges including hoax weapon of mass destruction, false bomb report, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and resisting officers without violence. Police said he previously faced a marijuana possession charge in Tennessee and told officers he had been living inside the truck with his dog. Animal Control took custody of the dog after the arrest.
Authorities said the yellow container was turned over to the Florida Bureau of Radioactive Materials for further analysis, and the weapons seized from the vehicle remain under investigation.
The Independent.com
