DAVENPORT, Fla. — A crash at a Publix in Davenport, Florida, resulted in the arrest of 43-year-old Benjamin Donald Johnson after police found firearms and a container with a radioactive warning label in his truck late Friday evening.
When they arrived, officers found Johnson uncooperative and refusing to exit his vehicle, which required them to physically remove him. During the process, multiple firearms were visible inside the truck.
While in a patrol vehicle, Johnson stated he had a ‘dirty bomb’ in his truck. Officers then discovered a yellow plastic container filled with chains, locks, and bearing a radioactive warning label. The scene was secured, and support was called from the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives.
A Florida State Fire Investigator confirmed the container emitted radioactivity. Further investigations by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, ATF, and an FBI bomb technician determined that the device was a Moisture Density Gauge used for soil testing, which contained less radioactivity than a medical X-ray.
A search of Johnson’s truck revealed several firearms, ammunition, thermal scopes, knives, a battering ram, night vision goggles, cannabis, and THC-positive gummies. Johnson stated that he was there for work and was living in his vehicle with his dog, which Animal Control safely took.
Johnson faced several charges, such as Hoax Weapon of Mass Destruction, False Report Concerning a Bomb or Explosive, and Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance. He was detained at Polk County Jail.
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