Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

A marijuana bust turned into a bomb scare in Laurel County Tuesday.

Kentucky State Police say troopers were investigating a marijuana grow operation at the abandoned CTA plant when they discovered a suspicious device. Police called in a hazardous response unit. Witnesses say more than 20 black Suburbans and fire crews shut down Robert E. Cox Road for nearly four hours.

Josh Atkins lives in a nearby apartment complex.

"They said they were doing some work down there. That I couldn't talk on the telephone or anyone else, couldn't go in that direction. That's all they told us, then we saw everything leave," he said.

Police didn't release any additional information on the device.

Witnesses say they later saw dozens of pot plants taken from the property.

The plant has been shut down since a deadly explosion killed seven people back in 2003. But people who live in the area say they have noticed activity on the property recently.