Sex Toy or Bomb? Device in Man's Pants Sparks Police Evacuation

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Daily Blotter

Steven Ferrini (KOVR/California Highway Patrol)

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (CBS/KOVR) A man who claimed to have a sex toy in his pants led California Highway Patrol officers to evacuate their offices in South Lake Tahoe over fear that it might be a real explosive device.

It all started when officers pulled over 60-year-old Steven Ferrini for a traffic violation, claiming they found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in his possession.

While searching Mr. Ferrini, authorities also claim to have found him carrying a device with an on/off switch...and a wire disappearing into his pants. When officers asked him about it, Ferrini told them it was a personal sex toy.

CHP officers brought the suspect back to the station -- device still in pants -- and when he started jabbering about his knowledge of explosives, authorities wondered what they were really dealing with.

So, according to CBS affiliate KOVR, an El Dorado County Sheriff's explosives team responded to the scene, while the CHP office was evacuated for several hours as a precaution.

Explosives experts extracted the device from the alleged perp's pants -- and lo and behold -- confirmed it was indeed a sex toy.

Ferrini was booked on drug charges.

Nothing exploded, and the sex toy, police said, was legal.

Story Contributed by CBS Affiliate KOVR