Carmel police investigate suspicious package

UPDATE: On Thursday night, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad was calledto Carmel to examine a suspicious package near Mission and 5th. Police said it turned out to be some personal belongings. But it still caused a bit of trouble for businesses on a very busy weekend.

Carmel police said a person dropped off a package at a local business in the afternoon, asked the employee to watch over it, but never came back. That’s when the bomb squad was called in. Casanova, a well-known restaurant in Carmel, was forced to shut down.

“We lost between $30,000 and $40,000 tonight,” said Casanova owner Walter Georis.

Frustrated customers drove by asking if the restaurant was going to re-open.

“I’m greatly disappointed. Look around. I’ve got 30 to 40 employees on the clock waiting to take care of our guests who traveled around the world to be here and dine with us tonight,” said Georis.

But while Georis was frustrated about losing business, police said their number one priority is safety.

“In today’s world, you never know what’s actually going to be in a device like that or a strange package. The protocol is to block off the area,” said Carmel Police.

Casanova wasn’t the only business affected. A hotel and salon said they were alsoaffected by the investigation.

PREVIOUS STORY: The Carmel Police Department said a suspicious package dropped off at a Carmel business Thursday turned out to be personal belongings.

Before police knew the contents, they called the bomb squad into the area of Mission and 5th. The investigation caused trouble for nearby businesses during the busy AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Casanova, a well-known restaurant, was forced to shut down. The owner said the restaurant lost about $40,000.

Carmel Police said someone dropped off the package early Thursday afternoon and never came back for it. Police were called in Thursday evening.