Bomb threat closes courts
Crime scene tape was spread across the entrance of the Grant County Courthouse Monday in response to a bomb threat made against the Grant County Clerk's Office.
EPHRATA — The Grant County Courthouse was closed and roads were blocked after a clerk’s office employee received a bomb threat Monday.
EPHRATA - The Grant County Courthouse was closed and roads were blocked after a clerk's office employee received a bomb threat Monday.
An unidentified person called the clerk's office at about 8:15 a.m., telling the employee a person was coming to the courthouse with a bomb, Grant County Emergency Management's Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said. When the employee tried to get additional information, the caller hung up.
Police decided the threat couldn't be discounted and evacuated the building. Officers from the Grant County Sheriff's Office, Ephrata police and Washington State Patrol searched the building and didn't find any explosive devices, according to emergency management. Employees returned to the building about an hour after the initial call.
Access to the courthouse was restricted from seven entrances to two, streets surrounding the courthouse were blocked and officers were stationed by the entrances, Foreman said. Police did not find anyone carrying a bomb.
"The investigation is still ongoing," he said.
Commissioner Carolann Swartz said the evacuation took about five minutes and was handled well.
"Of course, we've had some practices and drills lately," she said. "Everybody in the courthouse went to their various stations ... Within 20 minutes, we have a system set up so department heads, we had everybody accounted for."
The roads and entrances are expected to be open Tuesday.