VALLEJO, Calif. - A Carson City man was questioned by authorities Tuesday after at least three people called 911 to say they saw him aiming a shotgun, but officials now say the man may have had only a camera.
The California Highway Patrol said Interstate 80, the major route between San Francisco and Sacramento, was reopened about 10:30 a.m. after authorities detained Rickey Roy Badgley, 51, who had parked his van on the side of the freeway and at times wandered around the vehicle.
Badgley has a Carson City address, according to Sgt. Wayne Ziese of the CHP.
The CHP earlier said the man had a gun and that he under arrest, but Ziese said Tuesday afternoon the man did not have a firearm and had not been arrested.
"His vehicle was searched and we found a crossbow, pellet weapon and a camera set up with a couple of different lenses that would be held in the fashion like a hunter would hold a weapon," Zeise said.
He said the crossbow turned out to be a toy, and the camera was a long lens attached to a camcorder.
Initially, California authorities said Badgley was a felon.
But later Zeise said they were unsure if Badgley had a felony conviction.
"He has a number of arrests across several western states, but we're not sure if they were in fact felonies or reduced to misdemeanors," he said.
Badgley was released about 5 p.m. Zeise said.
The highway was closed about an hour during the investigation.
He said the investigation will be forwarded to the district attorney's office for review.
Contact F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
