On Dec. 30, Vandenberg Air Force Base officials reported stopping a man at the main entrance to the base because he was transporting what appeared to be suspicious packages in his vehicle.
According to a press release from the base, the man refused to answer base officials’ questions about the contents of the packages. Security personnel, as well as officials from the fire department and the base’s explosive ordinance disposal unit, were called out to investigate the packages.
The man was taken into custody while investigators cleared the packages and put a protective cordon around the area. The main gate was closed until about 10:30 p.m.
Six housing units sat within the cordon, though four of them were unoccupied because of the holidays. The other two houses were evacuated for the duration of the investigation. Officials later determined that the packages weren’t a threat, and on-base residents were allowed to return to their homes.
A Vandenberg spokesman later said that the man was kept momentarily and then later released to Lompoc Hospital. The packages, he said, were full of personal items.
This article appears in Jan 8-15, 2009.