Man, stopwatch touch off scare

PART OF DOWNTOWN CLOSED NEARLY 4 HOURS
Kentucky.com
Aug. 26, 2006

Homes were evacuated and nearly half-a-dozen streets were blocked north of downtown Lexington yesterday because of a suspicious-acting man and a stopwatch.

Lexington police received a call about 12:15 p.m. about a man in a dark T-shirt with disheveled hair wandering around parts of the Jefferson Center where he was not permitted. After the man left the building, at the corner of Second and Jefferson streets, an employee discovered a "suspicious-looking device."

It turned out to be a stopwatch with a lanyard attached. And the suspicious man, David Martin, 32, who was found in a nearby parking lot, was arrested on a charge of trespassing. He was being held in the Fayette County Detention Center yesterday.

Police reopened all streets after about four hours.

While Martin didn't threaten anyone, police treated the incident as they would any bomb threat or suspicious package report, Lexington police Sgt. Clayton Roberts said.

Police restricted traffic on West Second, West Third and Jefferson streets, Newtown Pike and Broadway. Residents who live on the streets closest to the Jefferson Center were evacuated from their homes. Those living on the streets a bit farther away were asked to remain indoors.

As police were shutting off the area, a police cruiser and a four-door Toyota crashed. The police officer, AndrŽ Grider, was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in an ambulance. He did not have life-threatening injuries. No information was available on the driver of the Toyota.

Shannon Slayton, 35, a personal trainer at Jefferson Fitness Center, said he was with a client when police came in and asked everyone to evacuate the building.

"People didn't seem concerned at all," Slayton said. "I think everybody thought it was some foolishness and would just last a couple of minutes."

Slayton spent nearly four hours walking around downtown Lexington until police cleared the area and reopened streets about 4:20 p.m. Many people who were visiting nearby businesses were unable to retrieve their parked cars because of the blocked streets.

The shutdown also affected dismissal procedures at some schools.

Harrison Elementary was put on lockdown until police could secure and open up streets for school buses and parents. Several other schools that have students who live in the restricted neighborhoods -- including Booker T. Washington Academy and Lexington Traditional Magnet schools -- held students until their families could pick them up.

Although some parents and passerbys complained when forced to turn around or take a longer route because of the road closings, Roberts said, it's important that police exercise extreme caution in all cases.

"We treat all of these seriously," Roberts said. "We appreciate everyone's patience. We understand it is an inconvenience but it's for their safety. We wouldn't be doing our job if we let them come through, until we were sure it was clear."

Roberts said police searched the van Martin was found near, as well as the Jefferson Center and nearby buildings. Firefighters and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agents, as well as canines, assisted in searching and securing the area.