Mysterious Package at Champaign City Building Turns Out to Be Food

A suspicious brown paper bag at the Champaign City Building this morning turned out to be nothing more than food.

A bomb squad unit was called after a city worker reported a suspicious package left outside the building at a little after 7 a.m. Champaign Deputy Police Chief Troy Daniels said emergency crews used a large water cannon to destroy it.

"The way we look at it is this could also have been an explosive," Daniels said. "We've seen across the country where packages have been called in and they were explosive, and what happens is if you just go up to it and start to manhandle it, you can be very badly injured or killed."

Daniels said most suspicious packages reported to police are found not to be dangerous, but he said precautions are always taken keep everybody safe. Traffic was blocked off on a section of Neil Street, between University Avenue and Park Street near the location of the package. City employees were allowed back in the building by 9 a.m.