http://www.wcsh6.com/video/article.aspx?storyid=76831

Explosives Lost, Then Found In Trash At Ohio Airport

Web Editor: Rhonda Erskine, Online Content Producer
Last Updated: 12/19/2007 7:11:20 PM

CLEVELAND, OH (NBC) -- More than a pound of C4 plastic explosive ended up in a dumpster at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport during a training exercise in November.

Now a Cleveland Police K-9 officer, assigned to the airport, is being investigated.

According to an explosives expert in law enforcement, C4 is a stable explosive that won?t blow up accidentally by itself. It needs to be armed with the proper blasting cap to detonate.

But that isn?t exactly what travelers at Hopkins want to hear.

The incident happened in mid-November, according to Cleveland Public Safety Director Marty Flask.

An officer put about a pound and a quarter of the C4 explosive into a trash can in the baggage area at Hopkins during a K-9 training exercise.

The plastic explosive went missing for about four hours after the training officer walked away from the area only to return to find that the trashcan had been emptied, according to Flask.

A custodian had taken that trash to a dumpster.

Flask said the custodian allegedly did not know the material contained inside a small case was a plastic explosive.

Flask said, the custodian allegedly kept the case and denied any involvement about it when questioned by officers as they were trying to locate the case the explosive was in.

During the hours of looking for the C4 plastic explosive, Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport remained open.

Travelers were shocked after learning of the incident.

"That makes me feel very uncomfortable,? said Terry Hessick of Bellevue,Ohio ?Makes me not want to fly out of this airport, you know, because of that."

"I think that's a big problem. I think people just want to know. I think it's better to tell people than to leave them in the dark, said Columbus resident Theresa Semeraro.

The City?s Public Safety Director said the bottom line is that the officer lost sight and control of the plastic explosive.

He expects there to be corrective action taken if the officer didn?t follow proper protocol. That officer is still on the job while the incident is under investigation.

Bill Kovatch, a frequent Hopkins traveler said the incident makes him think twice about airport security.

?Totally not acceptable,? Kovatch said. ?We put a lot of trust in the airlines and Hopkins airport administration to safeguard us while we're traveling."
NBC