According to Beavercreek Sgt. Scott Molnar, the officers exhausted all other avenues before shutting down the major thoroughfare. First, police checked to see if the package was part of a game known as geocaching, which allows players to leave containers for others to find with GPS coordinates listed on internet websites. After checking known databases of packages left in the area and determining this device didn't appear to be a part of the game, Beavercreek called the Dayton Police Bomb Squad to investigate and remove the device.
North Fairfield was closed at 11:55 a.m. between Dayton-Xenia and Old Mill roads. The road remained closed for about one hour. Area businesses and residents were asked to stay indoors. The bomb squad detonated the package and determined it was full of bird shot. It can be used for a variety of reasons, including as ammunition for bb guns, packed in shotgun shells, added to bombs to maximize damage, or even as a weight.
The contents were taken to the Miami Valley Crime Lab to determine if it contained any accelerants inside or if it was dangerous.
"We erred on the side of caution," Molnar said, affirming that the department's biggest concern was to "make sure it wasn't anything dangerous."
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