Mannequin with Obama mask found hanging on bridge over I-70
Authorities shut a stretch of Interstate 70 between Grain Valley and Oak Grove for several minutes early Monday while the Jackson County sheriff’s office removed a fully clothed mannequin wearing a mask of President Barack Obama left hanging from a bridge overpass.
The incident was reported about 5:30 a.m. at the bridge on Lefholz Road. While removing the item from the overpass, deputies noticed what they thought to be an explosive device attached to the mannequin.
The Independence police bomb unit was summoned, and all lanes of Interstate 70 were shut down as a precaution while deputies examined the mannequin, which was attached to the bridge by a rope, said Sgt. Ronda Montgomery, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
No explosives were found. The sheriff’s office is investigating who placed the mannequin on the bridge. It is not known how long it had been there.
“We are talking with neighbors and canvassing the neighborhood,” Montgomery said. “We are putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”
The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (474-8477).
To reach Glenn E. Rice, call 816-234-4341 or send email to grice@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published December 31, 1840 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Mannequin with Obama mask found hanging on bridge over I-70."