The “suspicious device” found in a vehicle Tuesday that led to a temporary road closure was a fake bomb.

Bulloch County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bill Black said that Joseph Daniel Wright, of Got No Lane in Portal, was charged with possession of a hoax device because when he was pulled over for a traffic stop by Bulloch County Crime Suppression Team members Tuesday, an item that was made to look like a bomb was located in his vehicle.

“It was not explosive,” Black said. “It was made to look like a bomb.”

But when deputies spotted it, they immediately called the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 5 Office in Statesboro for assistance and closed down a portion of Highway 80 West near Akins Pond Road for about two hours as the scene was cleared and it was determined there was no danger.

Black said that because the case remains under investigation, he could not yet disclose reasons for the traffic stop.

Wright, 28, also had in his possession counterfeit cash and was charged with first-degree forgery, Black said.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Black said he would not disclose how much counterfeit money Wright had or whether investigators suspect he manufactured the fraudulent bills.

A Bulloch County sheriff’s K9 also alerted to the vehicle, but Black said he could not at this time divulge whether narcotics were found in the vehicle.

Wright was detained at the scene and taken to the Bulloch County Jail, where he was later charged and booked. He remains without bond, on an investigative hold, according to jail records.

Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.