University and Albemarle County Police officials closed the 11th street parking garage Thursday afternoon because of a suspicious box that was thought to contain an explosive, but turned out to be a harmless toolbox.
A University security officer discovered the box, which was shaped like a briefcase, and quickly reported it. University Police Lieut. Melissa Fielding said police officials asked County Police officials for use of their bomb detection dog, because the University's animal was unavailable.
The bomb-sniffing dog, named Drak, came up with a possible "hit" after he was introduced to the box, prompting law enforcement officials to bring in an X-ray machine to determine if the box contained a bomb, Fielding said.
"It's a good policy to err on the side of caution when the owner of a box or bag is not easily identifiable," she added.
The machine's readings showed that the mysterious box contained only tools and did not have any explosive material inside.
"I know the public would rather us always be cautious," Fielding said. "You don't get a redo for these things."
-compiled by Matthew Denton-Edmunson
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