Courthouse evacuated due to bomb threat

Just after 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15, the Adams County Superior Court Clerk’s office received a phone call from a male subject claiming multiple explosive devices would be detonated in 20 minutes. The Adams County Courthouse was immediately evacuated, while officers searched the building.

Adams County was only one of eight courthouses across the state closed because of bomb threats on Thursday afternoon.

According to Ritzville Police Chief Dave McCormick, the department was contacted at 3:17 p.m. and the courthouse employees had already begun evacuation. Undersheriff John Hunt and officer Ben Buriak remained inside the building searching for devices, but were unable to locate any suspicious items.

Shortly after the potential detonation time had passed without incident, facilities manager Dennis Sackmann and janitor Mitch Phillips entered the building to assist with the search. After their examination of the building, department heads were allowed into the building to search offices before allowing employees to return to the courthouse.

Around 4:15 p.m., employees had the option to reenter the building, and the courthouse reopened for business.

Across the state, seven other courthouses reacted to similar threats between 3-4 p.m. on Thursday. Evacuations were conducted at Thurston, Chelan, Douglas, Benton, Clark, Pacific and Columbia county courthouses.

This is the second time in the past two weeks that a state has received bomb threats at multiple courthouses.

On Nov. 2, nine courthouses in southeast Nebraska were evacuated because of similar bomb threats.

Authorities are unsure if the two events are connected, and Washington State Patrol officers are working with local authorities to conduct a statewide investigation regarding the incident.