Is it just me, or does anyone else think that what happened in Boston occurred because officials over-reacted? It appears that the two gents who put up the ads meant no harm–creating a hoax to cause a pancic was not their intent. But they were supposed to realize that what they were doing was going to cause problems, according to officials:

Peter Berdovsky, 27, of Arlington, and Sean Stevens, 28, of Charlestown, were each charged Wednesday night with one count of placing a hoax device and one count of disorderly conduct. State Attorney General Martha Coakley said they were hired to place the devices. Both men were to be arraigned Thursday morning.

Those conducting the campaign should have known the devices could cause panic because they were placed in sensitive areas, Coakley said. Authorities are investigating whether Turner and any other companies should be criminally charged, she said.

“We’re not going to let this go without looking at the further roots of how this happened to cause the panic in this city,” Coakley said.

Perhaps Coakley could do us all a big favor and put up “Sensitive Area! Don’t Put Up Electronic Ads Here” signs in those sensitive areas.