Smithville Courthouse Evacuated After Bomb Threat

The Smithville City Courthouse was evacuated Thursday after a bomb threat was called in to a local dispatcher.

DeKalb County Sheriff Patrick Ray said the caller claimed multiple bombs were placed within the courthouse but did not disclose any locations. Ray said multiple units were dispatched to the courthouse to investigate the threat and the premises have since been cleared.

“There was a package that was of concern that was found but was cleared,” Ray said. “There are no more active threats at this time that we are aware of.”

Ray said two people of interest were picked up and questioned but no arrests have been made. Ray said the courthouse was shut down for the rest of the day and will resume operations Friday.

Ray said the department is still investigating the threat and interviewing people to find more information.

“This caller here was a little different than other places that have been receiving calls of bomb threats,” Ray said. “Our caller we believe was actually a live call and it was somebody that the dispatch talked to and not a robocall.”

Ray said the department pinged the cell phone number that made the call but it was a disconnected phone number that had only made a call to 911.

“It takes away emergency resources away from what they need to be doing,” Ray said. “We stayed here probably five hours I guess dealing with it. We still had calls coming in and everything trying to get those answered.”

Ray said various other parts of Tennessee have also been receiving false threats which are often made solely to cause chaos.