Suspicious box closes Ukiah street

A suspicious gift-wrapped box was abandoned in Ukiah near Highway 101.|
RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A suspicious blue gift box found near Highway 101 in Ukiah on Sunday led to the closing of a main city street until a bomb squad investigation determined the container was empty, according to law enforcement officials.

Ukiah police Monday said officers got an anonymous call about 10 a.m. about the strange box near a light pole in the 700 block of East Perkins Street. Police, CHP and Ukiah Valley firefighters cordoned off the area, adjacent to Highway 101, to await the bomb squad, which was called at 10:30 a.m.

A Sonoma County Sheriff’s bomb technician was getting ready to X-ray the gift-wrapped box when a strong gust of wind tumbled it over, sheriff’s Lt. Greg Miller said Monday. Investigators looked inside, found it empty, completed their investigation and reopened the road.

Who put the box there and why wasn’t known, Ukiah police said.

-Randi Rossmann

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