Downtown Winslow was brought to a halt Sunday afternoon as a bomb squad cleared the streets while responding to a suspicious package at the Bainbridge Island Post Office.

“There was a box sitting a planter at the post office,” said Public Safety Director Larry Dickerson. “A lady saw it and thought it was unusual. She notified us.”

“The thing that bothered her was the words on the box ‘Pray for Boston,'” he added.

Police inspected the area and notified nearby businesses such as the Town & Country Market. No businesses were evacuated, however.

Police initially called for a bomb-sniffing dog, but the writing on the box prompted a call for assistance from a bomb squad from Bremerton.

Using a remote controlled robot, the bomb squad investigated the box, lifting it off the planter and onto the ground and then tipping it over onto its side.

“It turned out to be an empty box,” Dickerson said.

Police notified the surrounding businesses that all was well, tape was taken down and downtown life resumed.

Dickerson said that scares such as these are often not a serious threat, but it is always best to be safe.

“Most of these aren’t real bombs,” he said. “But all it takes is one, so we don’t take any chances.”