Toilet placed outside Towson courthouse causes bomb scare
A toilet decorated with newspaper articles, a cell phone and several notes referring to a killing in Illinois was placed in front of the Baltimore County Circuit Courthouse in Towson this morning, causing a brief bomb scare. Towson's Patch.com site reported: 
The device was a toilet bowl plastered with stickers and newspaper clippings with a cell phone and compact disc attached to it. An old radio sat next to the toilet bowl with a note written on cardboard nearby, and an apparent petition attached to it.
After finding the device outside the courthouse, the maintenance worker notified security personnel at the courthouse.
"It appeared to be suspicious, so they contacted police," police spokesman Lt. Rob McCullough said.
The note requested that state and local officials push the town of Zion, Ill., to "conduct a complete and impartial investigation" into the 2006 death of a Baltimore man's son.
[Photo courtesy Mike Minervini]
Comments
The crazy, like the poor, we will always have with us. Again, get the feeling this is done with an eye toward media coverage and for quirky entertainment. No one noticed someone carrying a toilet around this relatively open area? There is nothing on security cameras? Of course, it's suspicious and should be investigated. But keep the media away unless it's deemed to be a genuine threat.
The challenge here is that people see roads closed and a bomb squad taking apart an odd-looking object, and want to know what's going on. -JF
Posted by: ruth | February 7, 2011 2:35 PM
Other than littering, I do not see any real crime here by the person leaving the toilet. They might even claim it to be a form of protest and freedom of speech, or even, art work (crazy as it may seem). I'd rather see a harmless toilet in front of the court house rather than envelopes loaded with who knows what. Obviously someone has some issues with the legal system.
Posted by: Phillip | February 8, 2011 10:25 AM