Bloomington couple wonder how knife got into luggage

WHAS11.com ^ | May 18. 2004 | AP

[Samwise]

An Indiana couple returning from a trip to California found a homemade knife with a 10-inch blade in their luggage, and both say officials can't explain how it ended up there.

Dorrine Theodore found the knife when she unpacked her suitcase earlier this month after returning from San Diego, The Herald-Times reported Tuesday.

Her husband, George, said the knife was a shank, like homemade weapons sometimes made in prison. He said officials at the San Diego and Indianapolis airports told him that inspectors likely put the blade in the wrong suitcase after finding it in someone else's bag.

"They gave me the runaround," he said. "That knife is sharp enough for me to shave with. Who in their right mind would throw it in a suitcase?"

George Theodore said he called the Transportation Security Administration, established by Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but officials there never got back to him.

"This blade is sharp enough to slice through a plane's tire or hydraulic line, but I don't think they really care," he said.

Chris Rhatigan, a TSA spokewoman, said the agency would do everything it could to find out how the handcrafted weapon ended up in the Theodores' suitcase.

"Even if this was done inadvertently, we want to know who did it and why," Rhatigan said.

[Xenalyte]

I hate it when I tank my shank with some skank.

[txzman]

What, we have to worry about things getting past these sharp TSA folks! Daammnnn.

[Ichneumon]

He said officials at the San Diego and Indianapolis airports told him that inspectors likely put the blade in the wrong suitcase after finding it in someone else's bag.

Wait, *what*??

[lainde]

-----wrote: He said officials at the San Diego and Indianapolis airports told him that inspectors likely put the blade in the wrong suitcase after finding it in someone else's bag------

Justa dang minute now...Whaaazzup with THAT???!!

[monday]

Something smells fishy. Who is to say they aren't making this whole story up? It could have happened, but if I had found something like that in my luggage, would I go to the media and make a big deal out of it? I doubt it. These people sound like publicity hounds to me.