Noisy fireworks on New Year’s Eve weren’t shot off by one of Whidbey Island’s best-known part-time residents, authorities acknowledged Friday.

The Island County Sheriff’s Office received a noise complaint from a Central Whidbey resident just after 10 p.m. Dec. 31 that claimed Steve Ballmer was setting off illegal fireworks and was getting ready for a large pyrotechnic show at midnight.

Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft, owns property near Ledgewood Beach.

Sheriff Mark Brown said the sheriff’s office determined the complaint identified the wrong home. The fireworks were being shot off by one of Ballmer’s neighbors.

Brown also said the fireworks were legal, and the county allows them on New Year’s Eve.