SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA — A Tennessee truck driver faces charges of threatening to discharge an explosive device after a tip that he had bombs in his truck triggered a K-9 sweep, a multi-agency response, and an hour-long shutdown of eastbound Interstate 4 near Lake Mary on Friday.
The incident started when someone contacted Florida Highway Patrol and claimed one of their truck drivers had threatened he had bombs in his truck. FHP pulled over the white semi near mile marker 101 in Lake Mary. Acting out of an abundance of caution, troopers called in the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Officers walked a K-9 to the back of the trailer while traffic backed up for several miles behind the stopped vehicle. Deputies turned traffic around on the highway on-ramp. Aerial footage captured the standstill on the eastbound lanes as troopers and Seminole County deputies worked the scene. Additional video from local media showed someone being detained by a Florida State trooper on I-4, though the specific circumstances were not immediately clear.
Investigators later determined there were no explosives inside the truck.
FHP arrested the driver, identified as Kelvin Harp, 49, of Clarksville, Tennessee. Officers booked him into the Seminole County Jail Friday evening. Harp faces multiple charges including threatening to discharge an explosive device and making a written or electronic threat to kill. His total bond is set at $105,000. At his first court appearance Saturday, the judge ordered GPS monitoring if Harp is released. His arraignment is scheduled for May 5.
Eastbound I-4 lanes reopened around 5 p.m. after crews removed the truck from the scene.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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