Police: Suitcases left at UW-La Crosse were not threat

LA CROSSE — Police say the suspicious packages that prompted an evacuation of three dorms at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse were suitcases left behind by a couple of bus passengers and were not a threat.

UW-La Crosse police Detective Chris Schuster says a man and a woman were boarding a bus bound for Rochester, Minnesota, Tuesday when they were told they couldn't bring all their luggage aboard. So the couple left behind two empty suitcases at the bus pickup on the west side of campus.

The discovery of the suitcases led to the area being cordoned off as a precaution. Eventually some dorms were evacuated and a dining hall shut down, but classes and activities continued.

A bomb squad arrived that evening and found no explosives.

Schuster says no charges will be filed.