LAKEPORT — Law enforcement evacuated the Lake County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon after the Record-Bee reported receiving a phone call from a man threatening to blow up the building.
A man, who did not identify himself, called the Record-Bee office at 1:56 p.m. and said his organization planned to “blow up” the courthouse in retaliation for ongoing Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) efforts to eradicate marijuana cultivation.
The man declined to give his name, saying, “I”m not going to tell you that.” He hung up after being asked about when the incident would occur and the name of his organization.
Record-Bee staff immediately called law enforcement and reported the incident to a 9-1-1 operator.
Law enforcement cleared the courthouse, did a sweep of the building and found no evidence of an explosive. “Nothing. All clear,” Sheriff Frank Rivero said.
The evacuation lasted almost an hour, with many courthouse employees spending that time across the street in Museum Park.
This was the second marijuana-related bomb scare at the courthouse in the last two years.
An unidentified man called the County Counsel”s Office the morning of April 28, 2011, saying a bomb was set to go off in the building. That day, the Lake County Planning Commission was set to consider an ordinance regulating medical marijuana dispensaries.
The 2011 caller said, “Don”t mess with the marijuana users,” according to the LCSO. Officials evacuated and searched the courthouse at that time but found no evidence of a bomb.
