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SPECIAL NEWS RELEASE
SUSPICIOUS DEVICE – MICHELLE DRIVE IN LANCASTER TOWNSHIP
At 8:46 a.m., Monday, April 16, 2018, officers from the Manheim Township Police Department were dispatched to 51 Michelle Drive in Lancaster Township for a report of a suspicious package. While performing his duties, a maintenance worker from the Villages of Lancaster Green apartment complex located a device alongside Michelle Drive. The device was described as a clock, mounted to a metal can, which appeared to be consistent with an explosive device. Manheim Township Police officers located the device and confirmed the initial findings of the maintenance worker.
Officers, with the help of the Lancaster Township Fire Department, cordoned off the area and restricted vehicular and pedestrian traffic around the device. Emergency personnel also made contact with area residents and instructed them to shelter in place. A bomb-trained K9 from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department and specialists from the Pennsylvania State Police Hazardous Device and Explosives unit responded to assist.
The initial findings of the state police investigators determined that the device contained materials that warranted its destruction. The device was then destroyed using a projected water disruptor and rendered the scene safe to approach. Detectives from the Manheim Township Police Department seized the remaining pieces of the device and are actively analyzing the contents.
“Following the ‘see something, say something’ motto, this incident is an excellent example of a citizen seeing something suspicious and immediately reporting it to police,” said Chief Thomas Rudzinksi. He went on to say, “the safety of our citizens is our utmost priority. All calls of this nature will be treated as real explosive devices until proven otherwise.”
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