A woman carrying a fake grenade into the Williamsburg Police station caused the building to be evacuated and the Department of Defense called Friday morning.
The woman, who has a military background, picked up what was thought to be a de-formed, unexploded, military-issued grenade off of a street near the intersection of Matoaka Court and Richmond Road.
“At 9:50am this morning a civilian arrived at the Williamsburg Police Station with an item she believed might be an unexploded ordnance device,” Williamsburg Communication Specialist Kate Hoving said in a press release.
Hoving confirmed the woman had no intent to harm or scare anyone when she walked into the Williamsburg Police station.
The Williamsburg Police Station was evacuated, Fire Department called and a Yorktown Naval Weapons Station team was dispatched once the Department of Defense was notified of the situation.
“At 11:06am, the team determined the device was not military ordnance, but was instead a novelty item, a cigarette lighter made to look like a grenade,” Hoving said in the press release. “They took the item with them, and the incident is now over.”
There are no reported injuries from the incident.
“Citizens are advised that if they ever find a suspicious device they should call 911,” Hoving said in a press release.
The Williamsburg Police declined to comment on the situation.
“Of course, we don’t want citizens to be picking up dangerous devices,” Hoving said.