The Porpoise And The Scare

FEBRUARY 1--Turns out Boston officials weren't the only ones yesterday handling an unorthodox bomb scare. However, in panicky Beantown's defense, its terror alert was prompted by scary Lite-Brite knockoffs, not something fished out of a Florida porpoise tank. Yes, a porpoise tank. According to Key West cops, deputies were called to the Theater of The Sea Wednesday morning when a porpoise brought to the surface of a training pool a 'suspected bomb.' After the aquatic park's 15 visitors and employees were evacuated, bomb technician Detective Jason Madnick evaluated the supposed explosive, according to a Monroe County Sheriff's Office report (a copy of which you'll find here). Madnick determined that the item was a baby food-sized glass jar containing metal particles and a 'hard wax substance.' The jar was wrapped in what appeared to be silicone and had a small black wire exposed through its top. The item, pictured in the below police evidence photo, was removed from the facility by Madnick, who will examine it further. The report does not identify the porpoise who unearthed the jar, nor whether the friendly sea creature was involved in a guerilla marketing campaign for Gerber. (3 pages)