A short-lived bomb scare at City Hall on Tuesday night left attendees feeling a little startled, but otherwise okay, and some were even chuckling at how comical the whole situation was.
The Sapulpa Metro Area Planning Commission, also known as SMAPC, was in regular session on Tuesday evening, when one man, who had requested to be heard during the public speaking portion of the meeting, began to behave oddly, rambling and speaking of “corruption in the highest echelons”.
The man’s behavior and language were alarming enough to cause one of the sitting councilors to text someone to alert them that police presence may be needed.
As an officer arrived, the man and his wife were wrapping up and immediately exited the room.
It was then that someone pointed out a plastic shopping bag sitting in a chair located near the couple that had not been noticed before.
A quick glance inside the Best Buy sack showed a brown paper-like bag of some sort with a target on it. Inside was something black, that the officer mistook for gunpowder. He quickly ordered everyone out of the building.
Sapulpa Times reporters Charles Betzler and Lottie Wilds were present at the meeting, and Betzler managed to get a quick photo of the bag as he was being escorted out of the meeting.
Outside the building, the attendees waited to see if the contents were as deadly as they were thought to be. They wouldn’t be waiting for long.
The officer walked out of City Hall holding the bag, asking if it belonged to anyone. One of the other board members claimed it, and when asked about its contents, let everyone know that it was simply clover seeds, recently purchased.
The meeting was resumed and finished without incident. While the owner of the bag was embarrassed, most of the other folks at the meeting found the incident funny, and if nothing else, entertaining.
Lottie Wilds and Charles Betzler contributed to this story.
