GPD and ASO clear “suspicious package” downtown

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A suspicious package found at the downtown Hampton Inn (101 SE 1st Avenue) did not include any hazardous materials or explosives, according to a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) spokesman.

At about 11:30 a.m., an employee of the Hampton Inn found a bag and a note in a room that was being cleaned and notified management; a manager called law enforcement, and GPD officers responded, along with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad. The building was evacuated until around 2:00 p.m., when the bomb squad determined that the package did not contain any dangerous substances.