GILCREST – Late Monday night, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office reported their Regional Bomb Squad team was requested to investigate a suspicious package found at Valley High School in the small town of Gilcrest.
Around 9 p.m., the Platteville Police Department, who made the request, sent out a reverse 911 call to the residents of Gilcrest to evacuate the town.
Gilcrest is a small town in Weld County about 40 miles northeast of Denver and 13 miles south of Greeley. At the 2017 census, the population was 1,098.
The suspicious package, seen below, was a backpack with wires sticking out of it. It was left near a gas line.
The Weld County Regional Bomb Squad investigated the package and discovered it was a harmless device used for locating utilities, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Officers said the reason the evacuation order was issued is that they were worried about the device being near a gas line.
UPDATE: Weld County Regional Bomb Squad has concluded there is no threat to public safety after investigating a suspicious package near Valley High School, Gilcrest. Suspicious package was a utility locating device. pic.twitter.com/lREcSUyNpC
— Weld County Sheriff (@WeldSheriff) November 13, 2018
