A routine traffic stop in Florida escalated into a multi-agency operation after a man claimed to have a 'dirty bomb' in his vehicle. Benjamin Johnson, 43, was pulled over by Haines City Police on suspicion of involvement in a crash near a Publix supermarket in Davenport.
Johnson allegedly refused to exit his Chevrolet Silverado, prompting officers to forcibly remove him. Inside the vehicle, police discovered multiple guns, ammunition, magazine speed loaders, thermal scopes, knives, a battering ram, night-vision goggles, cannabis, and THC-infused gummies.
While detained in a patrol car, Johnson mentioned the presence of a 'dirty bomb' in the truck. Officers found a yellow plastic container secured with chains and locks, bearing a radioactive warning label. The area was cordoned off, roads closed, and the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives called in.
A Florida State Fire investigator confirmed the container emitted radioactivity. However, the bomb squad determined it was a 'Moisture Density Gauge,' a soil-testing device with less radioactivity than a medical X-ray. Johnson now faces charges including hoax weapon of mass destruction, false report concerning a bomb, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and resisting officers without violence.
Johnson told authorities he lived in the vehicle with his dog, which was released to Animal Control. The container was taken for further inspection by the Florida Bureau of Radioactive Materials, and the weapons remain under investigation. Johnson had a prior marijuana possession arrest in Tennessee.
