Highway 89 at Lake Tahoe Reopens Following Bomb Hoax
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS Sacramento) -- Several hours after Highway 89 was shut down near Emerald Bay with reports of a suspicious device, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department has cleared the scene.
The roadway was back open Friday evening after deputies determined the suspects did not have explosive devices.
The suspects were identified as 24-year-old Hobie Gregory and 21-year-old Alana Blakemore. Blakemore was transported to Barton Hospital for drug ingestion and possible overdose, according to South Lake Tahoe police.
Deputies say Reno police were tracking a vehicle after a tip from the FBI Las Vegas field office that the suspects wanted to harm themselves and others and had explosives they would set off if they were stopped.
California state parks officers located the vehicle and notified the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department. Because of the severity of the threat, South Lake Tahoe police also responded to the scene.
Eventually, the vehicle pulled over to the side of the road off Highway 89, just north of the Vikingsholm parking lot near Emerald Bay.
Police said the Blakemore was arrested at the scene while Gregory took off running toward the lake.
Deputies say Blakemore said she had a bomb on her. When she was arrested, she dropped a large backpack in the middle of the roadway, prompting the highway closure. After a thorough investigation, deputies determined there were no explosive devices.
