Police Station Evacuated for Grenade-Shaped Lighter

The Williamsburg, Va., Police Station was evacuated after a woman walked in with what she believed might be an unexploded grenade.

It turned out to be a novelty cigarette lighter.

The woman, who has a background in military ordnance, found the device on the road and took it to the station at about 9:50 a.m. Friday, city spokeswoman Kate Hoving said. The station was evacuated, and an ordnance squad from Yorktown Naval Weapons Station was summoned to evaluate the device.

They determined it was a lighter made to look like a grenade, and the station was reopened shortly after 11 a.m.

Evacuating was the right thing to do under the circumstances, Hoving said.

Though the woman meant well, anyone who finds a suspicious device should call 911, Hoving said.