VERO BEACH, Fla. — A Florida man resorted to an explosive decision to ward off an eviction notice. Fortunately, he was bluffing.
According to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, the man, who was not identified, taped a fake bomb to his porch Wednesday morning.
The bomb, which was determined to be a fake by an explosives technician from the neighboring St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, was taped to a post and there were wires hanging from it, WPEC reported.
The man also posted a sign warning people not to approach the residence, the television station reported. Some of his comments on the handmade sign warned people to “stay back” and “I know you are only doing your jobs. You have family!”
The sheriff’s office said it invoked the Baker Act and took the man to an area health clinic for evaluation.
The Baker Act is a Florida law that enables families, loved ones and authorities to provide emergency mental health services and temporary detention for people who are impaired because of mental illness. A person will be detained under the Baker Act when it has been determined that they are unable to determine their needs for treatment.
The eviction notice was eventually served, the sheriff’s office said.