PORTLAND, Ore. -- The package explosions in Austin, Texas has led to an increased number of calls reporting suspicious packages in the Portland metro area, police say.
Portland Police Sgt. Steve Collins with the multi-agency Explosive Disposal Unit, said they have responded to four calls since the first explosion in Austin. All four turned out not to be dangerous.
One of those calls came from Mark and Leslie Ellerbrook’s home in Beaverton. On Wednesday afternoon, the Ellerbrooks found a suspicious-looking package on their front porch, wrapped in black plastic and tape.
“I called my husband and said, ‘are you expecting anything in the mail?’” said Leslie Ellerbrook.
The answer was no. Mark Ellerbrook called the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, imagining the worst.
“You hear about this stuff in Texas and these people getting blown up on their doorstep from just picking something up,” said Mark. “It just scares you to death.”
When deputies arrived, Mark said they agreed with him that the package looked suspicious.
“The first guy called in a sergeant and said ‘yeah, you made the right call, don't touch it," Mark Ellerbrook said.
Deputies brought in the Explosive Disposal Unit. Neighbors evacuated while the team ran diagnostic tests and determined the package was safe.
“It ended up being a high-powered magnet I'd ordered out of China two months ago,” said Mark. “The shipping label was face-down-- I’m going to call the post office about that.”
Deputies said calling law enforcement after encountering a suspicious package is always the right thing to do.
“They would much rather come out for something that turns out to be nothing, rather than we have another tragedy,” said Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Mark Povolny. “We've seen this happen in Oregon. We had the Woodburn bank bombing that cost two police officers their lives.”