Smithfield Police are investigating a suspicious item found inside Johnston Medical Center in Smithfield.
Police, fire and EMS crews responded to the hospital around 6:45pm Tuesday after an item resembling a pipe bomb was found in a bag of clothing.
Police Captain T.S. Choe said an individual admitted the item was his. The man told police he had made the PVC pipe as a place to keep his money. He allegedly forgot the pipe was inside a bag of clothing he was bringing to a friend who was a patient in the hospital.
A security guard spotted the item, Choe said, and called for assistance.
Police seized the PVC pipe until their investigation is completed. Choe said no decision has been made on whether the individual will face any charges.
While the incident did cause a scare at the hospital Tuesday evening, the facility was not evacuated.
