- Utah State University evacuated Old Main Tuesday due to a suspicious package found before a Turning Point USA event.
- A bomb squad detonated the device, which was a wildlife telemetry collar for research.
- USU Public Safety emphasized vigilance and praised the community's proactive safety measures.
LOGAN — The "suspicious device" that prompted an evacuation of the Old Main building on the Utah State University campus prior to a Turning Point USA event on Tuesday was found to be an educational tool.
It was a wildlife telemetry collar used for field research, the university stated in a news release issued Wednesday. The collar had been placed near the exterior of Old Main by a USU employee for an undergraduate class to practice telemetry work.
It was detonated by the explosive ordnance disposal squad, or bomb squad, which typically detonates objects with GPS signals, cell antennas and other items, according to the release.
"I'm grateful our Aggie campus community is proactive about safety," said Ellis Bruch, executive director for USU Public Safety, in the release. "Better safe than sorry isn't a cliché. It's a great reminder to always stay alert and diligent. We're all better off when we're looking out for one another. We encourage everyone that if you see something, say something. It's good to see the system work."
The wildlife collar was reported about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, and university police quickly ordered the evacuation of the building. A campus-wide alert was also sent to students and faculty to advise them of the situation.
Officers "deemed (the devise) to be nonexplosive," according to a Tuesday statement, but "out of an abundance of caution," they decided to detonate it.
Old Main was declared "clear and safe" by 3:45 p.m.
The suspicious device report was of particular concern on Tuesday because it came ahead of an "American Comeback Tour" event planned for the evening. A panel of speakers — including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs and former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz — is took the place of slain conservative activist and Turning Point co-founder Charlie Kirk, who headlined this and similar tours for years.
Kirk was shot and killed at a tour event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 10. A 22-year-old Washington County man has been charged with Kirk's murder.
