December 27, 2011 Ohio man arrested after abandoned suitcases causes bomb scare www.privateofficer.com
MENTOR, Ohio Dec 27 2011 — A homeless man from southwest Ohio was arrested and charged with inducing panic after a bomb squad was called to investigate a suitcase he allegedly abandoned outside a bookstore in northeast Ohio, police said Saturday.
The three-hour scene caused a scare for Christmas Eve shoppers, but it turned out the bag wasn’t a threat.
A shopper reported the suspicious bag around 8 a.m. Saturday outside a Barnes & Noble bookstore near the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor, northeast of Cleveland, Mentor police Lt. Ken Zbiegien said. Officers temporarily evacuated the store and used a robotic device to determine the bag contained nothing hazardous.
As authorities were investigating, they learned that mall security had spotted a man in the area Friday night with a blue suitcase, matching the description of the one left at the bookstore. Authorities found the man in a different area of the mall property, and he acknowledged the bag was his, Zbiegien said.
The 44-year-old Mason man told police he is homeless and had taken a bus from Cincinnati to Cleveland, where he was staying at a mission or shelter, Zbiegien said.
“We don’t know why he was up here,” Zbiegien said.
Police are withholding the man’s name until he is arraigned Tuesday on the felony charge. He was in custody in Mentor, and officers had no information about whether he had an attorney.
The bookstore was open for business by lunchtime.
Source:Dayton Daily News
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