Suspicious package closes down major Shawano intersection

Shawano police closed the intersection of Main and Green Bay streets for about three hours Friday morning after a suspicious package was discovered outside BMO Harris Bank.

The Brown-Outagamie County bomb squad was brought in, first to do a K-9 sniff of the package — which found nothing explosive inside — then to perform an X-ray analysis, before it was determined it was safe to open the package.

The package turned out to be a box of pens that had been dropped off at the bank, according to Shawano Police Lt. Brad Rabideau.

“At this time, what appears to be in the box are some pens,” he said.

The package did not have a return address, and the only markings on the package were the bank manager’s name written in pen and BMO written in marker, police said.

Bank officials told police that it was not the way office supplies are normally delivered.

A bank employee spotted the package around 8:30 a.m. and called police.

The bank was closed and the 100 block of South Main Street was virtually deserted until the incident ended around noon.

“Out of caution, the bank was evacuated,” Rabideau said. “With the assistance of the Shawano Department of Public Works and the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department, traffic in the area of Main Street and Green Bay Street was re-routed.”

Streets were closed off for one block in all directions, cutting off traffic along two state highways to what is usually considered the busiest intersection in Shawano.

“In these types of situations when a suspicious package is found, the appropriate response is an over-abundance of caution,” Rabideau said. “We just want to make sure we cover all bases.”