LAKEPORT, Calif. – A bomb threat forced the evacuation of the county courthouse Monday morning as courthouse workers began their day.
At approximately 7:40 AM, Monday, May 2, 2016, the Lake County jail received a phone call claiming that a bomb was set to detonate on the 4thfloor of the Lake County Courthouse located in Lakeport, California at 8:30 AM this morning.
Central Dispatch was immediately notified and contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeport Police Department, Lakeport Fire District and County of Lake Public Services department. Officers and staff of those agencies immediately responded and began a floor by floor search of the facility.
At approximately 7:45 AM employees of the State of California Courts and employees of the County of Lake, who share the Courthouse facility, were given notice to leave the building immediately. As other employees arrived to start the work week, they were directed to stage on the lawn of the Courthouse Museum Park.
Nothing suspicious was found during the search of the Courthouse. Law enforcement gave the okay for employees to return to work at approximately 8:35 AM.
This matter is currently under investigation.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin says, “I sincerely appreciated the support the Sheriff’s Office received from the Lakeport Police Department, Lakeport Fire Protection District and the Lake County Public Services Department in conducting a search of the courthouse building and surrounds grounds. I also wanted to thank all of the County employees and residents for their cooperation in evacuating the building. The safety of Lake County residents is always a top priority for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.”
District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown adds, ““The County appreciates the fast multiple agency response in searching the Courthouse which allowed County staff to get back to work as quickly as possible.”
Lake County Sheriff’s Office will be investigating the threat. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.