The Bella Vista Police Department was evacuated Thursday morning when a man brought a briefcase to the lobby and told police he had been told it would explode if he tried to open it, said Ken Farmer, Bella Vista police chief.
The Bentonville Bomb Squad X-rayed the case and found it wasn't dangerous, then opened it and found copies of a publication from southern Florida. The scene was cleared early Thursday afternoon.
The man told police he was promised a large amount of money but had to send some money first. After he did, he received the briefcase. When he called the arranged number, he was told he needed to send more money or the briefcase would explode, Farmer said.
He then took the case to the police department.