Police give all clear after bomb scare outside Pa. lawmaker’s Montco office

On the heels of a day filled with bomb-scare news, police in Montgomery County gave the all clear late Wednesday night after investigating a suspicious package outside the district office of a state representative.

State Rep. Thomas Murt said in a phone interview that he was contacted by Hatboro police around 9:45 p.m. about a duffel bag that was placed outside his state office at 19. S. York Rd.

TV news helicopters flying over the scene showed a bomb-detection robot inspecting an object on the sidewalk just outside Murt's office. The entire block was shut down by police during the operation and there were reports of some evacuations.

Murt said he went to the scene around 11 p.m. and was told that police had given the all clear. The blue duffel bag contained non-hazardous material.

"Our primary concern here was public health and safety," he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Secret Service and other law-enforcement officials said that suspicious packages were sent to the homes and offices of prominent figures in the Democratic party, including the homes of former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Murt is a Republican.