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After X-raying and neutralizing the package, officials found a tape recorder and a Braille note.
By DAN DeWITT
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 25, 2002
SPRING HILL -- The box at the post office on Philatelic Drive aroused mild suspicions Thursday because it had been left on the counter after closing time.
When Hernando County sheriff's deputies looked closer, they became even more concerned. The box had no visible address label, and the tape on the bottom of the package seemed to have been tampered with.
A bomb squad was called in and found more worrying evidence: An X-ray of the package revealed that it contained electronic equipment, batteries and wires, suggesting it could be a homemade bomb, said Lt. Joe Paez, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.
Because of all those factors, Paez said, the Tampa Bay Regional Bomb Squad put on protective suits and neutralized the bomb.
The Sheriff's Office said the process is secret because authorities do not want prospective bomb makers to know how it is done. But Paez did say it badly damaged the package, which turned out to hold a tape recorder apparently intended for a blind person.
When authorities examined the debris, they found a slip of paper with Braille on it.
They also found part of an address label, which was possibly inside the box, Paez said.
It included a nine-digit ZIP code, Paez said, which should allow deputies, working with the U.S. Postal Service, to track down either the sender or the intended recipient.
Paez also encouraged anyone with any information about the package to contact the Sheriff's Office at 754-6830.
Even if authorities identify the owner, they will probably not reimburse them for damaging the parcel. Paez said the neutralization was necessary because of where the package was left and the way it was marked.
"The package was considered suspicious due to its placement and the recent threats of terrorist attacks on government buildings," he said.
"We're sorry we had to destroy it and neutralize it, but it looked like a bomb to us."