Bomb remark empties ferry

EDMONDS, Wash. – The state ferry terminal at Edmonds was evacuated Saturday and two sailings on the run to Kingston were suspended for one hour after a ferry passenger was overheard making a remark about a bomb.

Sgt. Craig Nelson says the ferry was being loaded for the 11:30 a.m. sailing to Kingston when one drive-aboard passenger was heard saying to a friend, “Let’s put the bomb in the trunk.”

The person who overheard the remark reported it to an Edmonds policeman, who told the State Patrol.

Nelson says the passenger who made the remark and his friend were interviewed by Edmonds police.

The passengers told officers they did not have a bomb in their vehicle, and the remark was made in jest. But, as a precaution, the ferry and terminal were evacuated and a search by a bomb-sniffing State Patrol dog was conducted. No bomb was found.

Edmonds police say a 30-year-old Seattle man was taken into custody on outstanding warrants, and that the State Patrol will investigate the possibility of criminal charges related to the remark that caused the evacuation.

Nelson says the Edmonds-Kingston ferry runs resumed at 12:30 p.m.