This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A "suspicious package" — a trash can with the lid zip-tied closed — prompted Utah Highway Patrol to shut down a section of State Street near the Utah State Capitol for two and a half hours on Friday.
But Salt Lake City Police Department said via Twitter it turned out to contain just trash, after a bomb squad checked it out.
"We went down, clipped the zip ties and knocked it over with a [bomb squad] robot and discovered trash," said Salt Lake City police public information officer Greg Wilking.
The garbage can was on the street just south of the Capitol and had been reported to the police just after 11 a.m., said Wilking. Officers cleared the garbage can at 1:30 p.m.
UHP troopers and Salt Lake City police had blocked off the area near 300 North and State Street while they investigated.
KUTV 2News reported that surveillance footage showed the can was dropped off sometime Thursday.