A major police response, along with the bomb squad, was sent after a suspicious package prompted road closures near Crystal Lake Tuesday afternoon.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 1:05 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Walkup Road and Hillside Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake for a suspicious package call.
The Crystal Lake Police Department was first on the scene and reported an unknown object on the walking and biking trail near the intersection, according to police radio traffic.
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department was requested to be on standby near the scene.
Police and deputies began shutting down the walking and biking path, as well as Walkup and Hillside Roads.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Unit was requested to the scene to evaluate whether the package was an explosive.
Nearby schools, including Prairie Ridge High School, which is north of the intersection, were notified.
The sheriff’s office issued a community alert warning motorists to avoid Walkup Road from Vermont Trail to Indian Trail until further notice.
Hillside Road was also shut down from Flint Trail to west of Walkup Road. A police and fire command post was established.
The bomb squad arrived and began evaluating the package around 2:40 p.m., eventually deeming the object safe.
The sheriff’s office canceled the community alert around 3:30 p.m. after the roads were reopened.
The sheriff’s office has not said what the object was but a witness said it appeared to be snow wrapped in aluminum.