Catch of the day: Fla. angler hooks missile

updated 5:49 p.m. ET June 9, 2009

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. - A commercial fisherman reeled in a missile in the Gulf of Mexico and kept it on his boat for 10 days, authorities in Florida said. But an Air Force spokesman said the missile wasn't live and posed no danger.

Police said the boat's captain, Rodney Soloman, hooked the air-to-air guided missile 50 miles off the coast of Panama City. The Air Force and Navy use the area for weapons training.

Soloman had the missile aboard his boat for 10 days before returning Monday to port in Madeira Beach, near St. Petersburg.

A bomb squad was called in from MacDill Air Force Base and dismantled the missile in an empty parking lot.

Lt. Col. Tadd Sholtis said in a statement that contrary to initial media reports, the missile "had an inert, nonexplosive telemetry warhead that was never in danger of exploding."

The bomb squad said the missile was very corroded from floating in saltwater for a long time.

More from msnbc.com In slump-hit areas, suicide rates on the rise Brokaw:  The night the wall came down Cosmic Log: How the Maya lived Is the swine flu shot as safe as regular vaccine? Scoop: Letterman extortion case heads to court Signs of the sacrifices of military life On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM WEIRD NEWS

Weird news Section Front

Woman passes driver's test on 950th try Vanished Persian army said found in desert Man provides photo for his own wanted poster World’s scariest foods Airplane part falls onto N.Y. home’s front lawn Miss. gov’s son gets 2 holes-in-one in one round SUV sideswipes elephant in Oklahoma Giant snake capture in Florida was a hoax Brazilian makes surprise visit at own funeral Want to own more than 3 cats? Get a license Weird news Section Front   Add Weird news headlines to your news reader: