Police say Mo. hostage case a false alarm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Police determined a feared hostage-taking at a Missouri government office building near the governor's mansion Tuesday was a false alarm, officials say.

Jefferson City Police sounded the all-clear Tuesday afternoon after searching the building, St. Louis radio station KMOX-AM reported.

The report of a possible hostage situation had triggered a lockdown at the Governor Office Building, which was surrounded by police vehicles while a state police helicopter kept watch from the sky. Police spent several hours searching the building floor by floor before letting workers back in, KMOX said.

State Highway Patrol Capt. Tim Hull told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the incident started when a woman in the building reported she thought she heard the word "hostage" over an intercom. The woman alerted the building's security company, which called police.

The newspaper said the building was then locked down.

Police didn't say whether they had talked to the woman who initiated the incident, KRCG-TV, Columbia, Mo., reported.

The incident sent Gov. Jay Nixon rushing back to the state from Texas where he was attending a business meeting, his staff said in a statement.