Pubdate: Wed, 05 May 2004
Source: St. Albert Gazette (CN AB)
Copyright: 2004 St. Albert Gazette
Contact:  http://www.stalbertgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2919
Author:  Peter Boer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

ROBOT FINDS DOPE AT COURTHOUSE

Court proceedings were briefly interrupted Monday when a suspicious package 
was discovered by St. Albert RCMP outside the courthouse.

An officer escorting prisoners to court just after 9:30 a.m. noticed a 
suspicious package taped to the outside wall of the courthouse beside the 
entrance to the prisoners' cell block.

When courthouse maintenance workers could not identify the plastic-wrapped 
package, the Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) from RCMP "K" Division was 
called in.

"Maintenance didn't know what the package was and it was not in a place 
where a package should be," said Staff Sgt. Terry Renner of the St. Albert 
RCMP. "At no point did we think it was a bomb."

Further analysis of the package by a robot belonging to the EDU determined 
its contents not to be explosive. The package, in fact, contained 28 grams 
of ground-up marijuana, said Cpl. Don Brown.

"We have no idea why it was put there or who put it there," said Brown.

No threat of any kind was received by the police or staff at the 
courthouse, he said.

Five RCMP vehicles blocked off the parking lot of the courthouse for 
approximately two hours as members of the EDU guided a remote controlled 
robot into the entrance area to examine the package. Using a camera mounted 
on the robot, crews directed the robot to remove the package from the wall 
and placed it on the ground. A portable X-ray machine was then attached to 
the robot to determine the contents of the package.

"Even if it was a bomb, the package is so small, all it would have done was 
blown a couple of bricks off the building," said Renner. "We're just taking 
precautions at this point."

Even though police never believed the package posed a danger to the public, 
EDU officers were cautious.

"Better the robot goes in there than one of us," said Renner. "This also 
gives the crews a good chance to practise and make sure the equipment 
really works as it should."

The RCMP will now try to determine where the marijuana came from and why it 
was left at the courthouse.

"Investigators will be following up on several opportunities to determine 
the package's origin," said Renner. "Was it dropped there to throw us off 
or was it a prank? We have no idea what the motivation for leaving this 
package at the courthouse is."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom