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Suspicious box truck prompts Tennessee highway closure in wake of Nashville bombing; arrest made

LEBANON, Tenn. — A suspicious box truck that prompted the closure of a Tennessee highway Sunday morning has been declared free of explosive devices, but the vehicle’s driver was arrested on several charges related to his role in the tense situation.

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WZTV that no explosives were found in the truck that was playing audio “similar” to that used immediately prior to the Christmas morning bombing that decimated a portion of downtown Nashville.

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James Turgeon, 33, was charged with two counts of felony filing a false report and one count of tampering with evidence, the TV station reported.

Officers who responded Friday morning to a suspicious recreational vehicle playing a recording urging passersby to evacuate the Second Avenue area of downtown Nashville said during a Sunday news conference that the recording shifted abruptly to audio later identified as Petula Clark’s “Downtown” only moments before the RV exploded, The Washington Post reported.

Lebanon is about 31 miles east of Nashville.

Rutherford County dispatchers received a call Sunday morning alerting them to a truck playing audio similar to that heard before the Nashville bombing emanating from the box truck parked at Crossroads Market in Walter Hill, The Tennessean reported.

“During the course of the investigation, it was revealed Turgeon made a similar announcement at Kings Chapel Independent Missionary Baptist Church at Jefferson Pike and Dunaway Chapel Road while church was in service,” RCSO Detective Sgt. Steve Craig told WZTV.

As the truck traveled into Wilson County, authorities closed the section of Highway 231 near Cedars of Lebanon, a Tennessee state park, from about 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Deputies detained the driver and determined a juvenile was also in the vehicle, The Tennessean reported.

According to WZTV, nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution during the active investigation.