The Columbus Fire Department bomb squad determined a suspicious package found at the Athens City Parking Garage yesterday morning to be non-threatening - although police halted activity in the area for four hours.
At 9:33 a.m.
we received a report of a suspicious package in the parking garage and notified the Columbus Fire Department bomb squad said Ron Lucas, assistant service-safety director.
The suspicious package was located in a parking spot on the upper level of the first floor of the garage at 7 E. Washington St. The Athens Police Department had no comment on who initially reported the package.
Starting at about 11:30 a.m., E. Washington Street between Court Street and College Street was closed to both automotive and pedestrian traffic.
College Street was also closed from Union Street to Mill Street, while Court Street remained open to all traffic.
Buildings in the general vicinity of the parking garage were evacuated, including the Athens City Building and the Athens City Law Director's office, Lucas said.
Ohio University also evacuated Kantner Hall, located on South College Street, during the incident, said Katie Quaranta, an OU spokeswoman. OU also sent out an emergency mass text message that advised students to evacuate the area.
OU police Chief Andrew Powers said his department supervised the evacuation of Kantner Hall, but he added that Athens police took the lead.
The evacuations were soft evacuations meaning (people) are told to leave but we're not forcing them out the door
Lucas said.
Surveillance cameras located at the parking garage did not offer any clues as to how the suspicious package ended up in the garage, he added.
The bomb squad arrived at 12:30 p.m., scanned the area with bomb-sniffing dogs and used a bomb-seeking robot to inspect the parking garage.
Although Lucas said he could not make an assumption about what was in the package, it appeared to be a small black plastic case with plastic bags inside.
All areas were reopened at 1:30 p.m. when the package was declared non-threatening, Lucas said.
There was no cost to the city for bringing in the Columbus bomb squad to assess the package, Lucas said, adding that the threat is currently under investigation.
Representatives from the bomb squad did not return phone calls.
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Elizabeth Lundblad
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Athens police and the Columbus Fire Department Bomb Squad responded to a suspicious package left inside the City of Athens Parking Facility yesterday. The package was not a bomb, but its contents are still under investigation. (Alex Stein | PICTURE EDITOR)
