MSU professor’s research causes GTRA scare
A Mississippi State University professor’s unauthorized research caused a brief scare Monday morning at Golden Triangle Regional Airport and caused some passengers to be late for their holiday travel.
A small box was found in the upstairs area of the GTRA terminal by a security officer -- a Lowndes County Sheriff’s deputy under contract to the airport -- at about 4:45 a.m., during a routine security sweep. Considering it suspicious, the airport went into a security protocol, which meant calling other law enforcement and clearing the terminal.
The box was found in a corner and was described as a “small, 10-inch-by-10-inch box with a vacuum pump collecting air samples.” The professor apparently dropped the device in the corner Sunday afternoonand planned to return at some point and retrieve it. He was not at the airport when it was found. Investigators were able to determine the device was harmless and the airport was reopened at about 7:15 a.m., and the 6:30 a.m. flight, which was delayed, departed for Atlanta.
The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department tracked the device to the MSU professor who placed it in the terminal.
“Law enforcement responded and investigated the item which was determined to be a box that was left inside the terminal as part of a study by a professor at Mississippi State University,” Lowndes County Sheriff Mike Arledge said in a statement. “The item was placed inside the terminal without permission of GTR airport authorities, but the investigation determined the item was harmless and no threats to flight passengers, airport personnel, or domestic air travel existed. The professor was interviewed by Lowndes County investigators and no charges will be forthcoming related to the incident.”
”Mississippi State University regrets any public inconvenience caused by this action on the part of our researcher seeking ambient air samples for public health research,” Mississippi State said in a statement. “We appreciate Golden Triangle Regional Airport’s finding that this was an honest procedural mistake and not a crime.”