Earlier today we reported that advertising creative Geoffrey McGann was arrested at Oakland airport Friday for wearing a watch that the TSA and sheriff's department thought looked suspiciously bomb-like.
If you were wondering how something as simple as a watch could lead to an arrest — not to mention bail set at $150,000 — then take a gander at what the timepiece actually looked like, courtesy of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office:
Probably not the best accessory to wear to the airport.
The Daily Mail reported that TSA agents grew suspicious when McGann put the watch, which had a circuit board and was running on a direct timer, through the security X-ray by placing it under his jacket in a bin.
McGann works in a creative field — he's worked at ad shops including W+K, 72andSunny, and now General Content — and said that the watch is a piece of art. The police did not find explosives in the watch.
His lawyer, Douglas Horngrad, sent BI an email stating that McGann "has created several dozen of them, and given them to friends, business associates, and nieces and nephews. ..."
McGann also raised eyebrows for other fashion choices. Authorities said he wore an army shirt with a built-in tourniquet in the sleeves and shoes that were two sizes too big and had an empty, homemade cavity it the soles. (McGann said the shoes were to make him look taller).
Although McGann was brought to jail for possession of materials to produce an explosive device and given a hefty bail, the prosecutors declined to file criminal charges. According to Horngrad, McGann is not happy.
A statement from the lawyer reads that "the prosecutor's quick decision to not charge Mr. McGann illustrates the unreasonableness of law enforcement's actions here. As he is innocent of having committed any crime, we will be filing a motion to have Mr. McGann declared factually innocent. We will also seek to have Geoff's arrest removed from his record."
Horngrad continued, "This incident should have involved only a routine airport security detention, and not an arrest."
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