What was in the box? Read our latest update here.
UPDATE:
A student — Jackson Hiatt, 21 —was arrested and charged with intimidation after the L.A. Pittenger Student Center was evacuated due to a suspicious package.
UPD Police Chief Jim Duckham said the case remains under investigation.
The all-clear for campus was given after personnel determined that the contents of the package did not pose any safety threat.
Update:
As of 3:16 p.m., Joan Todd, university spokesperson, said personnel issued an all-clear, and the building is open for students.
Ball State alerts sent a text at 3:17 p.m., saying there is no ongoing threat to students.
Todd said she still does not know details regarding the package.
Update:
A bomb squad and the Muncie Police Department have arrived at the east side of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. A Delaware County Sherrifs K-9 unit is also on the scene.
UPD is blocking off the commuter lot.
Joan Todd, university spokesperson, said UPD, Muncie Police Department, EMS, Delaware County Sheriff's Department, Muncie Fire Department, Delaware County Bomb Squad and the Indiana State Police are on the scene.
Earlier:
A suspicious package was found at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center, leading to a full evacuation.
Joan Todd, university spokesperson, said someone dropped off a suspicious package at Parking Services, but that is all they know at this point.
"As an abundance of caution, they're evacuating the Student Center until they determine the safety levels," Todd said.
Officials are pushing those in the Student Center across the street. Travis Peters, assistant director for operations at the Student Center, said it would be significantly longer than an hour before people are allowed back in.
She said several authorities are looking into it right now, and she trusts the University Police Department knows whatever specialist it might have to bring in.
The meeting for the Student Government Association, which was supposed to be at 3:15 p.m., was canceled due to the package.
Last year in March, a portion of the Student Center was closed down because of potential hazardous material on some money at the Ball State Federal Credit Union. While nothing was found, the Delaware Co. Emergency Management team was dispatched to the site to figure out what was going on.
This is the second Indiana university today that had investigations on campus. Wabash College was placed on lockdown after two people were killed in a Zionsville home. The suspect was last seen on Wasbash’s campus.
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