Suspicious package on steps outside Sacramento County administration building was ‘bag of junk’

Authorities briefly closed off downtown Sacramento streets after a suspicious package was discovered Monday morning outside the Sacramento County Administration Building.

Officials were alerted about 9:40 a.m. to the suspicious package on the 700 block of H Street. The item had been left unattended on the steps of the county building, which houses the Board of Supervisors chambers and other county offices.

Streets around the county building were closed off by deputies and Sacramento Police Department officers. An officer at the scene said the package had been X-rayed and deemed safe.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi confirmed the package was “clear” and said the agency’s explosive ordinance disposal team was dispatched to remove the item.

The officer at the scene, who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the package was a “bag of junk.”

No suspects have been detained, Gandhi said; roadways were reopened just after 10:45 a.m.