Base EOD unit clears package in mailbox
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on February 11, 2011 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MICHAEL BETTS
A member of the 4th Fighter Wing Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight examines a suspicious package located inside a post office drop box some 50 feet from Once Upon A Child this morning.
An envelope containing a cellular phone prompted the lockdown of the area immediately surrounding two post office drop boxes located near the intersection of Eastgate and Cashwell Drives this morning.
Goldsboro police officers responded to the call -- one that reported a package making a suspicious noise some 50 feet from Once Upon A Child -- and within moments, had blocked off traffic.
At the same time, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base officials were on the receiving end of a similar call, and by 10 a.m. had dispatched members of the 4th Fighter Wing Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight to the scene.
But after nearly 45 minutes -- the EOD team did a visual inspection of the package and, then, an X-ray -- it was determined that the envelope posed no threat to public safety.
Still, 4th leadership said they are always happy to assist those communities outside the Seymour Johnson gates.
"We are always ready to support our local community with this type of emergency response when requested. This is what are our airmen are trained for at home and in the deployed environment," said Col. Shawn Pederson, the wing's vice commander. "The 4th Fighter Wing ensures our teams have the latest technology, robotic systems and communications to support our local authorities."