A mall in Florida was evacuated after a man who was grieving the death of his fiancee threw some of her cremation ashes in an eyewear store earlier this week.
Sarasota police said the mall was closed for two hours, but that the man would not be prosecuted, NBC reported.
Store workers at LensCrafters in the Westfield Southgate Mall said they were going about their business, when a man walked by and tossed what appeared to be an ashy substance into the store, then fled, NBC reported. At the time, nobody knew what the white powder was, so the entire mall was closed to allow HAZMAT crews the time to investigate.
The man was later caught and admitted he threw the ashes. He also said he was grieving his dead fiancee and only trying to sprinkle her remains in spots that held special significance to the couple, police said.
The man’s name was being withheld. Police could pursue civil charges, but said they probably wouldn’t.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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