Bomb Scare Shuts Down I-4 in Sanford for 90 Minutes Friday

A tip from inside a trucking company's own chain of command triggered a 90-minute shutdown of eastbound Interstate 4 near the old Seminole Towne Center mall in Sanford last Friday, ending with a Tennessee driver booked into Seminole County Jail on four felony charges and a $105,000 bond.

Kelvin Harp, 49, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was arrested after a supervisor or dispatcher at his company called the Florida Highway Patrol around 3:00 p.m. Friday, April 3, reporting that one of his drivers "had made a threat that he had bombs in his commercial motor vehicle." FHP troopers located and stopped Harp's semi-trailer on the shoulder of eastbound I-4 near mile markers 101 and 102, just south of Lake Monroe in Sanford.

FHP spokesperson Lt. Tara Crescenzi confirmed the agency "was advised that there may be an explosive on the truck" and immediately requested assistance from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. What followed was a full multi-agency response: SCSO bomb technicians, K-9 teams, and deputies converged on the stopped trailer while troopers blocked the mainline and several on-ramps between mile markers 101 and 102. The FDOT live traffic map confirmed the full extent of the closure. Harp surrendered without incident.

The closure held until nearly 5:00 p.m., when the truck was towed and lanes reopened. In those 90 minutes, backups extended not just through Seminole County but northeast into Volusia County. Motorist Gio Ruiz, caught in the gridlock, described the scene to News 6: "Honking, road rage, people with their hands out the windows. You have explicit things coming out the windows."

Bomb technicians and K-9 teams found no explosives inside the trailer.

Court records show Harp faces charges including making a false bomb report, making a written or electronic threat to kill, threatening to discharge a destructive device, and falsely reporting a bomb or weapon of mass destruction. Under Florida Statute 790.163, the false bomb report charge alone qualifies as a second-degree felony carrying up to 15 years in prison, 15 years of probation, and a $10,000 fine. With multiple counts stacked, Harp's total legal exposure runs significantly higher, and the $105,000 bond reflects the court's reading of that cumulative weight.

FHP has described the matter as an active criminal investigation. Prosecutors will determine how to proceed as the case moves through the Seminole County court system.