By Doug Mattson - Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Nevada County Sheriff Sgt. Bill Jones (left) and Grass Valley Police Terry Van Etten check out a suspicious box (center) labeled "Bombs Away!!" Tuesday afternoon at Grass Valley Cinemas on Sutton Way. (Photo by John Hart)
Authorities didn't have a very long fuse for the type of false bomb scare they encountered Tuesday.
At 2:45 p.m., the Nevada County Sheriff's Department learned of a box that said "TNT" and "Bombs Away!!!" lying next to Grass Valley Cinema on Sutton Way in the Glenbrook Basin.
The contents turned out to be film-projector bulbs that were boxed, taped, and dropped from the theater's roof for the fun of it, said Sheriff's Sgt. Bill Jones. The bulbs apparently make a loud bang upon impact when dropped.
No charges will be filed, but theater workers got "a stern talking to," Jones said.
The scare shut down surrounding businesses, including the theater, Armadillo Brew & Billiards and Anycraze, a game-card retailer.
The box was spotted by workers at the Record Connection store under construction next door, Jones said. Workers notified Vern Canon of the Nevada County Consolidated Fire Protection District, who was conducting a fire inspection at Record Connection.
Canon called in the Sheriff's Department, and the construction workers were told to evacuate. The Grass Valley Police Department also responded.
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