Police: Geocaching Device Causes Bomb Scare In Cannon Falls

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A three-block section of a bike trail was closed Monday morning in Cannon Falls, Minn., after a geocaching object found near the trail was thought to be a pipe bomb, police said.

Police responded to the scene after receiving a call about a suspicious object. Police said the object was wrapped in duct tape and that a "wire or fuse" was sticking out of it. When the Bloomington Police Bomb Squad inspected the object, however, they found it was not a bomb but a geocaching device.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure-hunting game played by people with GPS devices throughout the world, according to geocaching.com. The object of the game is to find the cache and then sign the logbook to show other geocachers that one has found the location. Some geocachers leave items near the cache for others to have. Police said an overturned bowl was found by the cache, but it is not known if it had anything to do with geocacher generosity.

Police said no criminal intent was apparent in the object, for all that was found inside was a log of people who had visited.

While geocaching may be a harmless activity, police said problems arise when others aren't aware of what the devices are or what the activity is. Other law enforcement agencies throughout the country have responded to suspicious objects reports and found them to be connected with geocaching, police said.

The bike trail was closed for an hour and 45 minutes.