Bomb squad responds to suspicious package in Dowagiac

DOWAGIAC, Mich. -- M-51 has reopened after it was shut down Wednesday morning after a suspicious package was found on a bench outside Hale's Hardware.

Randy Hale, General Manager at Hale's Hardware said he found a suspicious package on a bench outside and contacted police.

"They thought it would be best to lock the store down and barricade the area, so they called in the bomb squad and eventually they cleared it," said Hale. "They took an x-ray of it and called it off, so everything's fine."

Police locked down the store and the Berrien County Bomb Squad responded to the scene.

The item, which was a piece of plastic pipe that appeared to have a wick on the end, was not a bomb or anything dangerous.

During the investigation, M-51 was shut down between State Road and Pokagon Street. The road has since reopened.