The investigation continues into a bomb threat Tuesday at the Texas County Justice Center.
Sheriff James Sigman said the threat was received at about 9:30 a.m. and the facility was evacuated, yellow police tape blocked entrances, and a Missouri State Highway Patrol bomb squad from Jefferson City was called in. After evacuation was complete, several deputies, bailiffs and other officers made a thorough sweep of the building (at Grand Avenue and Spruce Street in Houston) and found no explosive device. After the bomb squad arrived at about 12:30 p.m., a similar sweep again came up empty.
Sigman said investigation of the case revolves around a man who reportedly made a statement to another man in a restroom inside the center. Courtrooms A and B were each in full session at the facility, and both men were there for court appearances.
“A male approached one of the bailiffs and told him another male said he was going to blow up the building and he should leave,” Sigman said. “The bailiff notified the judge and they contacted me. When we made a sweep of the building, there was nothing obvious, but we left the building evacuated. When the bomb squad arrived, we checked everything again and didn’t find anything, and we were certain everything was good.
“We have a suspect in this, and we expect charges in the near future.”
Inmates at the nearby Texas County Jail remained in their cells during the incident, and county employees were sent home for the day. Court proceedings from Tuesday were rescheduled to Friday.