Bomb Squad Called After Suspicious Bottle With Gasoline Found at School

A bomb squad was called to a field just south of a Petaluma elementary school when a plastic bottle wrapped in tape and smelled of gasoline was found Thursday morning, Petaluma police said.

Someone walking through Miwok Park, a large open field south of Miwok Valley Elementary School located at 1010 Saint Francis Drive, discovered the plastic bottle around 10:30 a.m. and brought it to a friend's home to examine it, police said.

Police were notified about the potential explosive device and the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office's Bomb Squad was called to the home in the 1100 block of St. Francis Drive, police said.

According to police, a bomb squad robot neutralized the bottle, which was found to only contain a residual amount of gasoline. Police said there are no known threats against Miwok Valley Elementary or any students or staff there.

Over the past several months, there have been multiple incidents at local schools, including major graffiti vandalism at Kenilworth Junior High and a break-in at Petaluma High School.

Authorities advise the community to leave suspicious items where they find them and immediately call authorities. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Petaluma police Officer Brian Miller at (707) 778-4372.

-Bay City News