OCONOMOWOC — The Oconomowoc Police Department evacuated Oconomowoc City Hall Tuesday morning after receiving reports of a suspicious package.
Tom Spalding, an employee at Sherper’s Outdoor Store in downtown Oconomowoc, saw the emergency unfold from the shop.
“I saw the trucks coming in this morning—had no idea what was going on,” Spalding recalled.
According to a press release, Oconomowoc police arrived at City Hall shortly after 10:15 a.m. in response to the report.
Oconomowoc Chief of Police James Pfister, who was inside City Hall, described the package as a 6x8-inch box that was heavily taped and appeared similar to an explosive device.
Watch: Police investigate suspicious package at Oconomowoc City Hall; no public threat
Officers evacuated the building and called the Milwaukee County Bomb Squad, which removed the package.
City officials, including District 4 Alderman Kevin Ellis, were shocked to hear of the incident.
“Like, wait—what?” Ellis said, recalling his reaction to a text from the mayor.
“The building has been evacuated. Everyone is safe. Streets are blocked off,” he read.
As of Tuesday evening, police had not taken anyone into custody and said they would continue to investigate.
Spalding described the incident as unexpected but praised the emergency response.
“A lot of people are driving and visiting town—it’s a setback for everybody. But we have to be safe,” he said.
Ellis said he was unaware of any threats against city officials.
“I don’t know anybody who would have ill feelings against us. We’re here for the community, love the community, and want to keep it safe. It just doesn’t make any sense,” Ellis said.
The downtown area has since reopened.
City officials plan to hold the scheduled City Council meeting at City Hall on Tuesday night.
Oconomowoc Police say there is no threat to the public.
Watch: What we know about a police situation in Oconomowoc:
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