Man arrested in connection to suspicious package found in Grover Beach

A Grover Beach man has been arrested in connection to a suspicious package that was found in Grover Beach Tuesday morning.

Grover Beach police arrested the suspect after receiving a report of a victim who was threatened by the man. The victim told police there was a risk of a potential explosive device as well.

Police arrived on scene, contacted the victim and then located a suspicious package atop the victim’s vehicle on the 1200 block of Seabright Avenue.

Police closed down the 400-600 blocks of South 13th Street and the 1200-1400 blocks of Seabright Avenue due to the investigation.

The incident caused evacuations in nearby buildings and a lockdown at Grover Beach Elementary School. The school is blocks away but it was placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution.

A bomb squad responded to the area and retrieved the suspicious device. The device was preserved for evidence, police say.

Streets near the area remained closed for a period of time while law enforcement was on scene.

At around 1:45 p.m., roadways were reopened, the school lockdown was lifted and residents were allowed to return home.

At around 4:20 p.m., police investigators arrested Aaron Matison Stockwell, 48, of Grover Beach. Stockwell will be booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail where he will await possible charges related to making criminal threats, stalking, domestic violence, and violation of a court order.

The incident is under investigation.

Grover Beach has seen multiple instances of explosive devices left in public places over the last year. In June, search warrants were served at a home in Grover Beach in connection to the devices, but no arrests were made. It is unclear if there is any connection between the incidents. Police say Tuesday’s incident is isolated and not related to any previous investigation.

KEYT 2019