Bomb Scare a Hoax in Little Rock Neighborhood

It wasn`t a bomb, but it was still enough to scare quite a few people in a Little Rock neighborhood Tuesday morning. The Little Rock Fire and Police Departments were called out to 1801 Scott Street, behind Harvest Foods on Main Street. That`s where a business owner found a box, with what looked like a bomb inside. The bomb squad says it looked like a road flare or stick of dynamite with modeling clay and an electronic device attached. Customers at Family Dollar got more than they bargained for when arriving at the store Tuesday morning. Shortly after 8 a.m., the owner of Walk-Winn Plastics found the box, about a third the size of a shoe box. "He saw in it what he thought was a stick of dynamite with some plastic explosive material added to it with an electronic device attached to it," said Capt. Steve Kotch, Little Rock Fire Department Bomb Squad. As the squad worked to make the area safe, the 12 employees in the building near where the box was found were evacuated. Other businesses nearby were warned. "[Police] told us to stay out of the back room, don`t open the back door, don`t throw any boxes away," explained Kelly Boothe who was working at Family Dollar Tuesday morning. Using a remote control robot, the bomb squad soon found that whatever was in the box was not a bomb, but still no accident. "It wasn`t a toy, it didn`t fall out of a car, somebody placed it around this business," said Kotch. "There`s various reasons as to why this was manufactured." After being in business for 34 years, the owner says he doesn`t know of any disgruntled employees or unsatisfied customers. Police say they`re testing the evidence from the scene and talking to neighbors and businesses nearby. Whoever is responsible could face charges of either terroristic threatening or communicating a bomb threat.