Oct. 08--WILLIAMSBURG -- A grenade scare Friday morning at the city's police station turned out to be a novelty item, a lighter made to look like a grenade.
The episode began when a woman brought the item into the station about 10 a.m. after finding it near the intersection of Matoaka Court and Richmond Road. She had put it in her pocket.
Williamsburg Police notified the Fire Department, which in turn contacted the Department of Defense. A team from Yorktown Naval Weapons Station was dispatched.
Kate Hoving, spokesman for the City of Williamsburg, said the incident was resolved shortly after 11 a.m. The grenade was determined to be a "novelty device," a lighter constructed to look like a grenade.
"It looked realistic," Hoving said.
The building was evacuated and an ordnance team with Naval Weapons Station Yorktown was called in to evaluate the device.
Police and firefighters caution that anyone who finds a suspicious device should not touch, instead calling 911.
