Bomb squad investigates package at Modesto courthouse

Update, 12:25 p.m.: Authorities determined the item was an empty ice chest.

Authorities have cordoned off one side of the Stanislaus County Courthouse in downtown Modesto due to a suspicious package.

Someone found an ice chest on the lawn of the I Street side of the building about 10:45 a.m. on Thursday.

Authorities closed off the area and called out the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad, which is sending its robot to examine the ice chest.

Business at the courthouse continues; no evacuations have been ordered.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Bomb squad investigates package at Modesto courthouse."