Bomb threat
No explosives found at Union County Courthouse
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam Union County Sheriff Scott Stephens and other law enforcement officers stand outside the Courthouse Monday afternoon as the K-9 Unit searches for explosives.

The Union County Courthouse was evacuated Monday, April 17, when a bomb threat was called in to the office of the Clerk of Superior Court shortly after 12:30 p.m.

Lt. Dan Smith was already on duty in the courthouse, as Superior Court of Union County was in session at the time. Court had just broken for lunch and the courtroom was being closed when the call came in. Lt. Smith became aware of the situation right after the call was received. "I called dispatch immediately after that and set everything into motion," said Lt. Smith.

The courthouse was promptly evacuated as law enforcement officers went door to door, notifying those inside that they needed to exit the building. "We got everyone out pretty quickly," said Lt. Smith. Those inside the courthouse were ushered out the front door into the front parking lot before being taken back 1,000 feet from the building. The courthouse was then shut down at approximately 12:45 p.m. Neighboring businesses were also alerted of the situation.

The Blairsville Police Department, Union County Sherrif's Office, Georgia State Patrol, Union County EMS, and Union County Fire and Rescue also responded. Road blocks were established at the various access points. At approximately 2:30 p.m., Sgt. Fred Yarborough, Commander of the Dawson County K-9 Task Force, arrived with the bomb sniffing dog. A search outside the courthouse included the parking lot and the perimeter of the building. At approximately 4 p.m. the search moved inside the building. No explosives or traces of explosives were detected during the search.

At around 5:50 p.m. the O.K. was given to return to the courthouse. At that time the road blocks were cleared and employees were allowed back into the building.

Because it is an ongoing investigation, other details about the incident are being withheld at this time in order to preserve the integrity of the case.