Holts Summit police say car with suspicious package inside was stolen

UPDATE 12:35 P.M.: Holts Summit police officers found items that could be used to make a bomb inside a car Friday, according to a news release.

The release said officers conducted a search of the car’s license plate through the National and State Database after getting a call for a careless and imprudent driver. According to the release, officers discovered the car was stolen from the state of Illinois.

Technicians used a robot to remove items from the vehicle. The release said they were unable to figure out the contents of one of the items, so they conducted a controlled detonation. According to the release, a specialized unit of the Missouri Army National Guard was requested to test an unknown substance and determined that it posed no significant risk.

The investigation into the stolen vehicle is still ongoing.

ORIGINAL: The Holts Summit Police Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol were investigating a suspicious package Friday.

Holts Summit Police Chief Kyle McIntyre said the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is helping with the investigation.

McIntyre said the highway patrol bomb squad was called for a controlled detonation of the package and to continue X-raying other packages inside the vehicle.

He said more detonations are possible depending on what items are found inside.

Police found a vehicle stolen from Illinois during a traffic stop on Highway 54 at about 10 a.m., McIntyre said.

“It actually originated as a careless and imprudent driving call,” he said.

He said the driver was arrested and the vehicle was towed to the police department for police to take inventory of items inside.

Police then found suspicious items in the vehicle, McIntyre said.

City hall was blocked off with tape as the investigation continued through the evening.

Check back for updates to this developing story.