COLUMBIA, MO. -- Update: Thursday April 21 at 10:26 a.m.:
A bomb scare shut down the Boone County Courthouse and several sections of Downtown Columbia on Thursday morning.
Members of the Boone County Bomb Squad confirmed a suspicious envelope found in the south doors of the courthouse was harmless.
A janitor found the suspicious package about 7 a.m. and immediately called authorities.
Courthouse employees and workers at nearby businesses were forced to stay away from the area during the incident.
Columbia Police Officer Corey Bowden wore a bomb protective suit as he assisted the bomb squad’s robot.
Authorities determined the suspicious package was a false alarm about 2 hours into their investigation.
Boone County Sheriff’s Detective Tom O’Sullivan said, “We’re happy it’s a false alarm. We were prepared to respond to this incident. Thankfully, it came to a good conclusion.”
Columbia Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Weaver said, “It’s just a good opportunity to get out and go through the process and make sure everything is functioning the way it should and just work together as a unit.”
Authorities said several pieces of paper were inside the suspicious package.
They did not say what was written on the pages.
Update: Thursday April 21 at 9:20 a.m.:
Around 9:00 Thursday morning, authorities let employees into the Boone County Courthouse after it was determined the suspicious package was not a threat.
Officials said the package in question was an envelope a janitor found stuck in between the south doors of the courthouse. That's when the Boone County Sheriff's Department brought in the bomb squad, along with bomb assisting robot.
All roads that were blocked off and surrounding businesses that were closed for the past two hour are now re-open.
Boone County Deputies said even though this was a false alarm, it was good practice in case of an actual event.
Original Story:
The Boone County Courthouse has been evacuated after a suspicious package was found.
Boone County and Columbia police crews were called to the Courthouse on Walnut Street just after 7:00 Thursday morning, and crews are still on the scene.
Some downtown roads are also closed due to the evacuation.
KRCG has a crew on the scene. Stay tuned for updates.
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