Bad mix of food prompts airport evacuation
By C.E. Scott
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
A food writer carrying a bag with a jar of Tupelo honey, a package of "Byron's Butt Rub" and an oyster shell triggered a bomb scare that prompted the evacuation of Tallahassee Regional Airport this morning.
"I was here for the weekend doing a story on food in Apalachicola," said Todd Coleman, 32, a writer for Saveur magazine who was detained for about five hours after security personnel thought they had discovered a "suspicious package" about 6: 45 a.m. Monday.
Quinten Johnson, Transportation Safety Administration director at the airport, said the items - along with a digital video/audio recorder - wound up being arranged in Coleman's cloth bag in a configuration that resembled an explosive device.
Coleman said the honey was in a jar and the "Butt Rub" - a combination of barbecue spices - was in a package. He said he picked up the oyster shell after he stopped on a highway.
Full story in the Tallahassee Democrat