School in Kodiak evacuated after suspicious item left outside, but it turns out to be empty wooden box

The North Star Elementary School in Kodiak was evacuated Wednesday morning after Kodiak police were notified of a suspicious package left outside the school. A shelter-in-place order was made by school officials, and students were then transported to the Bayside Fire Department shortly after 10:15 am; parents were notified to pick up their children. Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, and the Kodiak Police Department responded to the school and secured the area.

It turns out it was an empty wooden box.

“Upon further investigation, the suspicious item was determined to be an empty wooden box. Law enforcement has identified and spoken with the individual that placed the empty wooden box at the school. Troopers learned that the individual located the box while running on a roadway near the school and placed the empty box near the entrance after believing that it belonged to a student or staff member at the school. The Alaska State Troopers would like to thank the Kodiak Police Department, US Coast Guard Investigative Service, and FBI for their assistance with the response and investigation. We appreciate the Kodiak community’s patience and assistance with the investigation and response to this incident,” the Department of Public Safety said in an update.

“We would like to thank the North Star families and staff for their response and patience today,” Kodiak Police Department announced on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon.

In unrelated “suspicious package in Kodiak” news, a Kodiak man was arrested Tuesday after a package containing more than a half-million dollars worth of illegal drugs was sent to him, according to the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.

Kalani Coyle, 30, of Kodiak was charged with second- and third-degree misconduct involving controlled substances, including 912 grams of methamphetamine, 56 grams of cocaine, and 5,550 fentanyl pills.

Involved in the investigation and arrest were Kodiak’s Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspector Service.

The Kodiak Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit is made up of members from the Alaska State Troopers, United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, and Kodiak Police Department.

The Trooper dispatch report said that investigators noticed the package on Nov. 21, and that it was destined for a “known target.”

The value of drugs seized if sold in Kodiak is approximately $543,000.