Police: Man made false report of bomb at Albany protest

A Rensselaer County man is accused of making threats at a protest at the state Capitol on Saturday.

State Police received a report around 1:10 p.m. of a person acting suspiciously and leaving a backpack in the area of a scheduled protest in West Capitol Park.

Taylor Houlihan, 32, of Valley Falls, allegedly abandoned the bag in the area of a bus stop on Washington Avenue may contain an explosive device.

Troopers found him and interviewed him. He allegedly made broad statements that the bag he left may contain an explosive device.

The area was evacuated, and Albany Police helped close the road because of public safety concerns.

The Bomb Disposal Unit and K-9s responded and did not find any explosive material.

Houlihan was charged with falsely reporting an incident. He was turned over to Albany Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.