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What started as a routine traffic stop turned into a multi-agency operation after a Florida man told police he had a “dirty bomb” in his car, authorities say.
The incident began when officers from the Haines City Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Benjamin Johnson’s Chevrolet Silverado. The vehicle was believed to be involved in a crash near the Publix at 39883 Highway 27 in Davenport.
Johnson, 43, allegedly refused to follow commands to exit his vehicle. Police eventually pulled him out of the truck and found multiple guns, ammunition and firearm magazine speed loaders.
They also found thermal scopes, knives, a battering ram, and night-vision goggles, as well as cannabis and THC-infused gummies.
However, things took another strange turn when Johnson, who was being detained in a patrol car, acknowledged the existence of a “dirty bomb” in the truck. Upon further inspection, police found a yellow plastic container secured with chains and locks with a radioactive warning label.
Officers secured the area, closed nearby roads, and called in the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives. A Florida State Fire investigator confirmed the container was emitting radioactivity before the bomb squad arrived.
Officials determined that the yellow container held a "Moisture Density Gauge," a soil-testing device with less radioactivity than a medical X-ray.
He now faces multiple charges, including hoax weapon of mass destruction, false report concerning a bomb or explosive, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and resisting officers without violence. Haines City police reported that Johnson previously had a marijuana possession arrest in Tennessee.
Johnson told authorities that he lived in the vehicle alongside his dog, who has now been released to Animal Control.
Police took the yellow container for further inspection by the Florida Bureau of Radioactive Materials, while the weapons found also remain under investigation.
