Bomb Squad Called to Court After ‘Suspicious’ Package Arrives

The Philadelphia Police Department bomb squad was in Bristol Township Wednesday for a “suspicious” package that arrived at a district courthouse.

Bristol Township officers were dispatched to the court of District Justice Joanne Kline on Bath Road shortly after 11 a.m. for a  strange box without postage that arrived, Lt. Terry Hughes said.

The box, delivered by an employee of the United States Postal Service, came with the day’s regular mail and “didn’t look right” to court employees, Hughes said. He added that the address labels on the box caused concern to the staff.

Defendants, law enforcement officials, court workers and attorneys was ushered out of the building and across to the parking lot of the Newportville Fire Company’s substation.

The Philadelphia bomb squad arrived and used an x-ray on the box. They discovered it contained two old books, Hughes said.

“There were not threats on or in the box,” the lieutenant told LevittownNow.com.

Once the all-clear was given around 1:30 p.m., the courthouse was reopened and cases resumed.

Ironically, the discovery of the package happened just a few hours before a continuation was issued in the case of a man accused of threatening to blow up the Bristol Township police station and schools.

Hughes said was not clear on what the topic of the books in the box were.

Investigators from the Bucks County Detectives and the United States Postal Inspection Service are assisting Bristol Township police.