UPDATE: Childrens books inside envelope cause bomb scare at Monterey home

The Monterey County Bomb Squad responded to a house in New Monterey Thursday night on reports of a suspicious envelope being delivered to the residence.

Law enforcement was notified around 7 p.m. and responded to the home on Parcel Street off Prescott Avenue. The bomb squad arrived on scene by 8 p.m., and used a portable X-ray machine and robot to examine the package.

Just before 9:20 p.m., the bomb squad confirmed the envelope contained nothing dangerous. In fact, the envelope contained two children’s books.

According to Monterey Fire Division Chief Jim Brown, the envelope was deemed suspicious because it had 25 stamps and no return address. It also had no cancellation notice from the U.S. Post Office.

Brown said the person who reported the suspicious envelope is a student at the Naval Post Graduate School.

Brown told Central Coast News it was a case of “better safe than sorry.”

Only the single residence on Parcel was evacuated. All surrounding neighbors were told to shelter-in-place.