By Deirdre Parker Smith
dp1@salisburypost.com
The ěsuspicious deviceî found in Kannapolis this morning was a hoax, made to look ělike something it wasnítî according to Capt. Terry Clanton of the Kannapolis Police Department.
After about 4 hours on the scene, the device ěwas rendedered harmless by the Cabarrus County Bomb Squad.
According to Clanton, the remains of the device have been taken by the ATF for further investigation.
ěThere were no explosives in the device,î Clanton said.
A Kannapolis Police officer noticed the object about 5:20 a.m., close to the railroad tracks at the 18th Street crossing.
Train traffic was delayed until about 9 a.m. as a precaution.
Kannapolis police and fire departments, Cabarrus EMS, the Cabarrus County Bomb Squad and officials from Norfolk Southern responded to the scene.
Video from the bomb squad showed the device was not something that fell from or was associated with the train.
No homes were evacuated, Clanton said, but people in the area of Linda Avenue and Plaza Street were asked to stay inside. ěBased on the Cabarrus County evaluation of the device, the size of it and the location, they felt residents were safe,î Clanton said.
A convenience store near the site was closed when police asked the employee who came to open it to leave.
Alternate routes around the blocked streets were set up, but Clanton says all traffic is flowing now that the streets are open.
The ATF will continue the investigation.