OKTIBBEHA COUNTY — Despite federal and county law enforcement shutting down a stretch of Highway 182 and briefly evacuating homes and businesses, no explosives were found in a vehicle brought to a tow yard following a search Monday.
Capt. Brett Watson of the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation was sparked after a vehicle was brought to a tow yard on Highway 182 and the driver sought to retrieve items from it. Watson said there was a question about whether the man was the vehicle’s owner. He said the man informed the tow yard workers that there were some explosives in the vehicle.
At that point, the tow yard contacted the sheriff’s office, which came to the yard accompanied by a canine unit from Mississippi State University.
Watson said the dog gave a positive alert on the vehicle. As a precautionary measure, law enforcement evacuated nearby residences and businesses and briefly shut down portions of Highway 182 from Highway 45 to Camps Airport Road, totaling about one mile.
A search of the vehicle found several firearms, but no explosives. Watson said the scene was cleared and roads were reopened around 5:30 p.m.
Watson said there was no indication the man was intending to threaten the tow yard and the incident was not taken to be a bomb threat.
“We don’t have any reason to believe he was threatening anybody,” Watson said.
Watson said the positive alert from the canine unit likely came from gunpowder from the weapons in the vehicle. He said the dogs are trained to identify gunpowder, and that alert triggered a larger investigation.
He said that no charges are expected for the man at this juncture.
Kevin Edwards is news editor and reports on Starkville and Oktibbeha County government.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 45 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 45 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion