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FRANKLIN

A little more than two hours after a suspicious item had been found at 4:27 p.m. on Monday, March 2, in the Franklin Police Department on Pretlow Street, the area was given an all clear signal by the Franklin Fire and Rescue Department. This statement came from FPD spokesman Sgt. Scott Halverson.

The public had earlier been asked to stay away from the area until the situation could be assessed.

A member of the FFR had initially confirmed to The Tidewater News that the object was a non-hazardous material, but had no further details. A call had gone out to Capt. Tim Dunn, spokesman for the City of Frnaklin, who later reported the following: “The package was delivered by a citizen to the police department lobby. The citizen was concerned about the smell of this powder that they found. I don’t know where they found this package. The citizen stayed with the package and their identity is known.

“The Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s local haz-mat officer responded and tested the powder. He then determined it was not hazardous, radiological or explosive material.  The material in the original packaging was taken for further testing. The haz-mat officer did not suspect it was hazardous in any way.”

The Tidewater News will publish other details as they become available.