Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said the cement was apparently from the project the person was building, which the sender of the package felt was not up to code as the letter indicated.

The package arrived around 3:30 p.m. and the recipient believed it to be suspicious.

Examination of the package by the sheriff's office bomb dog and equipment used by Halifax Fire and Rescue both indicated negative for an explosive device.

The State Bureau of Investigation arrived and determined the package was a piece of cement, the sheriff said. “I'd like to thank the SBI for its quick response and the quick response of Halifax Fire and Rescue and Chief Ed Johnson and his personnel.”

The investigation did force an evacuation of the immediate area, Tripp said.

The sheriff said it was better to call. “It's better to be safe than sorry. There was something about the package that made the recipient feel like it was something suspicious. If you receive something that doesn't feel right, we encourage you to call your local law enforcement agency. This matter confirmed our bomb dog and the fire department's equipment was working properly.”

The matter was resolved around 5:30 p.m.