Suspicious device found on New Mexico church grounds

On Friday, the Las Cruces Police Department announced law enforcement would be checking additional churches for suspicious items. No other details were available.

A groundskeeper at First Presbyterian Church called 911 after locating what police referred to in a press release as a “suspicious device”.

Boutz Road, between El Paseo Road and south Main Street, is closed to traffic.

The suspicious device found shortly before 9:30 a.m. on the grounds of First Presbyterian Church, 200 E. Boutz Rd., was rendered safe by the Dona Ana County Bomb Squad and deemed no further threat to the public.

The church was evacuated and Las Cruces High School, which is a half a mile from the church was placed on “shelter in place” status.

Authorities also have called for a number of businesses and apartment complexes near the church to shelter in place.

On August 2, two explosive devices detonated within minutes of each other at churches in Las Cruces. There was only minor damage, police said. No one was injured in either explosion but morning services were about to begin at one church and were underway at the other.

There were no injuries or deaths from the blasts outside Calvary Baptist and Holy Cross Roman Catholic.

Several local, state and federal agencies, including the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working together on the case.