Cellophane wrapped truck prank under review for California charges

 Posted on October 05,2012 in Criminal Defense

Can a common kitchen product used as a prank lead to criminal charges? Prosecutors in Southern California reportedly are reviewing police reports over a prank for potential charges, which officers investigated Thursday afternoon.

In what appears to be a simple workplace prank, authorities are now considering whether or not to bring criminal charges against a California worker. Police in Anaheim, California say that someone called law enforcement to report a vehicle wrapped in plastic. Officers raced to the parking lot outside the Anaheim Memorial Medical Center and used bomb-sniffing dogs to check out the Chevrolet pickup truck for possible explosives.

Police say that the truck had been wrapped in plastic and was adorned with notes that read "Plastic are hazardous," "Truck armed with plastics," and a note saying to keep away. Law enforcement locked down the area surrounding the truck and closed down nearby traffic for roughly two-and-a-half hours after responding to the scene.

Officers contacted the truck's owner, a hospital employee, who reportedly explained that the incident was all a practical joke that a coworker had pulled. Police say that the coworker acknowledged pulling the prank. Law enforcement has sent a police report concerning the incident to city prosecutors to review for potential criminal charges, according to the Los Angeles Daily Breeze.

Police dispatched investigators from the bomb squad, including a bomb-sniffing dog to investigate the plastic wrapped truck. Along with the reports of the incident, police reportedly have forwarded information about the cost of the emergency response to prosecutors. A police spokesperson says that in today's world, law enforcement take threats seriously. The spokesperson says that alleged threats involving a facility such as a hospital are taken especially seriously.

Source: LA Daily Breeze, "Prankster who wrapped friend's car in cellophane could face charges," Oct. 5, 2012