Police release details of suspicious package found near Safeway

Updated: June 20, 2012, 7:25am:

Details released Wednesday morning from South Lake Tahoe police: What was found was a large dark colored piece of luggage, about 2-feet wide, 4-feet long and 2-feet deep. In part, an unsigned note accused specific federal, county, and city law enforcement and court officials in the Midwest of committing a violent crime against the unknown person who had left the package.

Safeway was evacuated, as were all the rooms of the Best Western Timber Cove Lodge that faced the highway.

There was miscellaneous packaging, photographs and clothing in the container, but no explosives were found.

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A suspicious device caused officials to close down Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe in front of Safeway on Tuesday night.

Tahoe Douglas bomb squad officials were called out to determine if the device found near the bus stop was an explosive.

Eric Guevin, spokesman for Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, told Lake Tahoe News his crew X-rayed the item; this confirmed it was not an explosive device.

“We want to err on the side of safety and not make any assumptions,” South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler said as to why the bomb squad was called June 19. “We try to keep things as safe as we can. We don’t want our citizens or officers in harms way.”

A Safeway customer service rep said, “We are not at liberty to say anything.” She deferred comment to the closed corporate offices. So it’s not known if the excitement disrupted business.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report