Altered birdhouse prompts bomb scare near hospital

Author: associated press
Published:
Police lights crime

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) – Authorities say a birdhouse prompted a bomb scare outside a southwest Florida hospital.

Police say a “suspicious package” was reported Wednesday morning outside Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Traffic in the area was blocked off, and the building was placed on a “diversion” lockdown, meaning no patients were allowed in and out.

Bomb technicians from the Sarasota Police Department and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office sent two robots to examine the device. They eventually determined that it was a birdhouse, though it had been altered with fuses coming out of the top and wires coming out of the bottom.

Authorities say they’re trying to determine who set the device out. A spokeswoman said she didn’t know whether the person would face charges.

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