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Mental Health Exam Ordered For Man At Center Of Palmetto Bomb Scare

MIAMI (CBS4) – A Miami-Dade judge has ordered a mental health evaluation for a man at the center of a bomb scare last Friday which shutdown part of the Palmetto Expressway for hours.

During a hearing on Sunday, Judge Martin Shapiro set bond at $37, 500 for Lee Lewis, 28, who has been charged with possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance (meth) and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use and driving with a suspended license.

Despite his attorney's insistence that he not speak, Lewis told the court he broke down on Friday and went to get help.  When he returned he found his car surrounded by police.

"I was there talking with the cops," said Lewis, "I'm suing everyone."

On Saturday he claims he turned himself in to police after learning they were looking for him.

The incident unfolded Friday afternoon when witnesses reportedly saw a man leaved a hearse parked under an overpass at 27th Avenue with what was believed to be a suspicious package, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.  The unoccupied silver hearse was registered to Lewis.

Miami Gardens Police chief Matthew Boyd told the paper when officers looked in the car they found an arsenal of automatic weapons, ammunition and rocket launcher.

When officers saw all the weapons in the car, they called for a bomb squad.

State Road 826 was closed to traffic in both directions from NW 17th to 37th Avenues for six hours as police investigated the possible bomb threat.

The weapons, however, turned out to be fake. Boyd said "they were good replicas."

One item was turned over to federal authorities. No explosives were found.

Lewis was taken into custody Saturday afternoon.

Jail records show Lewis recently served a year and a half in a Miami-Dade prison on grand theft and drug charges. He was released in 2008, according to the Miami Herald.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved.  This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)

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