Cell phone sets off: ; bomb scare

Dropped calls can be a problem, but on Thursday a dropped cellphone caused city streets to be shut down and two downtown buildingsto be evacuated.

The Kanawha County 911 Center received a report that a man hadjumped into a manhole at the intersection of Truslow and VirginiaStreets about 11:40 a.m., a dispatcher said. The witness claimed theman had exited the manhole and quickly set off down Virginia Streetheading east.

Police were immediately called in to investigate the incident,said Lt. Bryan Stover of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department.Authorities shut down city streets near the W. Kent Carper PublicSafety Complex and began the investigation, Stover said.

The building was briefly evacuated, as was the federalcourthouse, the dispatcher said.

Bomb technicians with the Kanawha County Sheriff's Departmentwere sent down the manhole to look for any suspicious items, Stoversaid. None were found, he added.

About a half an hour after the initial call, police located thesubject behind the judicial building on Quarrier Street, Stoversaid.

"He told us that he had a hearing at the courthouse and that hehad dropped his cell phone into a storm drain when he got out of thecar," Stover said. "He opened the manhole cover, jumped in, got hiscell phone and then went to his hearing."

The subject was cooperative and answered all of the officers'questions, Stover said. Police confirmed the man's story, and he wasreleased without charges.

Although the incident turned out to be unfounded, Stover said hehad to "commend" the witness for calling in to report the suspiciousbehavior.

"It was clearly suspicious activity, and some people wouldn'thave taken the time to report it," he said. "The witness did theright thing."

He added that there are a number of buildings in that four orfive-block radius that serve essential government functions. Stoveralso said that the evacuation as well as the investigation ransmoothly.

The evacuation and investigation involved numerous agencies,including the Charleston Police Department and security at thefederal courthouse, he said. City streets were opened about 45minutes after the call was received and workers again were allowedto enter the buildings, Stover said.

Contact writer Paul Fallon at paul.fallon@dailymail.com or 304-348-4817.