Suspicious package evacuates printing office

Both the bomb squad and hazmat teams were called Friday after a suspicious package was found at the state printing office.

Legislative Counsel Bureau Director Lorne Malkiewich said the package forced the evacuation of the printing office, legislative general services staff and several computer programmers housed in the building at Stewart and Fifth streets. Between 35 and 40 people were evacuated at about 11:30 a.m.

He said the mailroom X-rays all mail coming to the Nevada Legislature.

"The X-ray was enough to arouse suspicion so, out of an abundance o f caution, we evacuated the building," he said.

It took the bomb squad and hazmat teams about two and a half hours to determine the contents of the package were harmless. Malkiewich said those workers who hadn't gone home returned to work about 2 p.m.