DOVER, Del., Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A new Delaware law makes it a felony to plant any type of terror hoax device, a crime that could result in a prison sentence of up to three years.
Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, with members of the state police explosive device team watching, signed the bill Monday.
It is illegal "to possess, transport, use or place an item which appears to be or to contain an explosive device or other similar device with the intent to cause anxiety, unrest, real or personal discomfort," the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal reported. Anyone convicted of the crime could be sentenced to three years in prison and fined an amount determined by the court.
The bill was signed four days after a four-block area near the state capitol was evacuated after a suspicious package was reported. After five hours, state police determined the brown paper bag contained office supplies, but the incident put several people on edge, Minner said.
"Several (people) said to me, 'How do we know tomorrow when we come to work there won't be something in the building?' It changes your life," the governor told the newspaper.
