Suspicious package at Visalia courthouse prompts evacuation and call to bomb squad

The Tulare County courthouse in Visalia was evacuated Wednesday morning after courthouse security discovered a suspicious package in a parking lot.

But the bomb squad took an X-ray of the box and found it was empty.

The incident started at 9:52 a.m. and ended at 11:16 a.m. Employees at the courthouse, where many county employees also work, were allowed back in.

The box was found in the small south parking lot adjacent to the courthouse. The box was sealed, but it was unclear why it was there, Visalia police Sgt. Damon Maurice said.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Suspicious package at Visalia courthouse prompts evacuation and call to bomb squad."