Lockdown At St. John's College: Buildings Were Evacuated After 'Suspicious Package'

Last updated Thursday at 2:31 p.m.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - A "suspicious package" sent St. John's College into a temporary lockdown Thursday, a school official told Patch. The downtown Annapolis campus has since reopened, and there is no threat to public safety.

An Annapolis Police Department spokesperson told The Capital that multiple bomb threats were called in.

St. John's College told Patch that the threat was unfounded.

The college said it got a phone call around 10:15 a.m. reporting that a suspicious package may be located near a chemistry classroom.

The school said it evacuated Mellon Hall at 10:40 a.m. at the direction of city police. The gym, Fielding Hall and other surrounding administrative buildings were also evacuated. 

"The Chief of Public Safety and college officials coordinated the response with local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities," St. John's College Director of Communications Sara Luell told Patch in an email. "After a thorough search, the all-clear was given at approximately 12:45 p.m."

All 1 p.m. classes were canceled because of the timing of the all-clear notice, Luell said. 

Classes will resume at 2:20 p.m. and continue the rest of the day.

The emergency response forced some temporary street closures.

St. John's Street was closed between Calvert Street and Bloomsbury Square. King George Street was closed between College Avenue and Maryland Route 450. The Annapolis Police Department announced these closures at 11:41 a.m. and announced at 1:39 p.m. that they had ended.

More News from Pasadena

• Cheapest Places To Live In MD Revealed In New Ranking These are the 25 cheapest places to live in Maryland, according to a new ranking.
• Stabbings In Taco Bell, Near Royal Farms Hospitalize Victims In Annapolis: Reports A Taco Bell employee stabbed a colleague in Annapolis, a report said. Two Royal Farms workers helped investigate a stabbing near their store.