Bomb squad called to law enforcement building on Arkansas state line; suspicious package to be detonated, authorities say

A "suspicious" package found on the northeast side of Bi-State Justice Building on Monday was determined not be a bomb and was safe to move, an official said.

An El Dorado, Ark., bomb squad secured the package in a container and moved it to a safe location for further investigation, said Sgt. Rick Cockrell, Texarkana, Ark., Police Department spokesman.

"The markings and appearance of the package [were] very consistent with a pipe bomb," Cockrell said. "After the El Dorado bomb squad did a full diagnostics on the package they determined there were no hazardous materials inside."

The bomb squad arrived in Texarkana about 12:30 p.m. to examine the suspicious package found on the northeast side of the Bi-State Justice Building.

The package was found about 8:40 a.m., Cockrell said

The package is cylinder-shaped and about the size of Catholic prayer candles, with wires coming out of the package, said Cockrell. Also, the package has symbolized writing on it, he said.

Cockrell said it is unclear if the person who reported the package was a visitor or an employee who worked in the building. Also unclear is if the person came into the building to report the package or called to report the package.

Portions of the building were bordered with crime scene tape and State Line Avenue was barricaded for about a block from the structure.

The building was evacuated and the prisoners on the building's top floor were placed under lockdown.

Bi-State dispatchers were moved to another location where they could continue to answer calls, Cockrell said.

The Bi-State Justice Building opened in the mid-1980s and houses law enforcement and court operations for Texarkana, Ark.; Texarkana, Texas; and Bowie County sheriff's office.

"Regardless of the outcome we treat every incident like it's the real thing," Cockrell said.

The downtown area was re-opened for regular business Monday afternoon.

Cockrell said there is a camera that faces in the direction where the package was found.

"CID will review the footage to see if it was left there on purpose or not and to see how it has been there," Cockrell said.

Information for this article was contributed by Stephen Simpson of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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