| Updated: 1/28 10:59 am |
Published: 1/28 5:53 am
|
Lanes on the Creek Turnpike are back open after suspicious packages were found near the Peoria/Elm exit. OHP says the packages were x-rayed and no explosives were found.
OHP spokesman Lt. George Brown says there was no immediate threat to anyone in the area, as there are no homes nearby. Westbound lanes were closed for about three and a half hours while troopers investigated. The OHP bomb squad was also called to the scene to help with the investigation.
Troopers have returned the luggage found at the Creek Turnpike Toll Plaza to its rightful owner.
OHP dispatchers received a phone call from the owner of the luggage at about 9:30 on Monday morning. The owner, a Tulsa woman, stated she was en route to Ft. Worth when she realized her two suitcases had fallen out of the back of her pickup truck.
Turnpike surveillance video showed a Good Samaritan move the two suitcases onto a nearby walkway. OHP officials were then called by a witness who saw a person place the cases at the toll plaza.
After OHP Bomb Techs performed safety analysis of the cases and cleared both suitcases, they opened them and found some personal information which verified info the owner gave during the call into dispatch.
Troopers then took the luggage into custody and delivered all contents to the family of the owner in Tulsa.
"This is the best outcome we could possibly ask for in this situation. Although it required some delay for others, we were able to recover some valuable items and return them to their rightful owner. It's always a bad day when you lose luggage, but with the help of a kind hearted passerby and quick actions by investigating Troopers & Dispatchers, this person was able to receive their lost valuables & this investigation is considered closed,” said OHP spokesperson Lt. George Brown.
