Staff Reports

JACKSON COUNTY – After a bomb threat was made to three courthouses in Western North Carolina on Thursday, authorities were continuing to investigate the threat Friday.

Jackson County received a 911 call from an unknown caller who stated there was a bomb located at either the Jackson County Courthouse, the Cherokee Tribal Courts or the Swain County Courthouse. The bomb was allegedly in place and set to go off within the next 72 hours, and it was up to authorities to figure out which of the three courthouses it was in.

The threat was made around 11:30 a.m. Thursday. On Friday, investigators were determining who placed the call and why.

In Jackson County, authorities responded quickly and were provided search dogs from the Waynesville Police Department and Macon County Sheriff's Office, said spokesman Maj. Shannon Queen with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

In addition to the Jackson County Justice and Administration building being evacuated and closed, the Jackson County Historic Courthouse with the attached county library was also shut down and searched, he said. Both buildings were cleared by nightfall Thursday and searched again Friday morning. They were both reopened for normal use Friday.

At the Jackson County Courthouse, security measures are in place on a daily basis, so authorities didn't believe there was a bomb but they still searched the premises and are investigating, Queen said.

"We felt very comfortable that it wasn't here," he said. "We have security at the front door (and) precautions are in place."

The Swain County Courthouse reopened Thursday afternoon, according to authorities.

Deputies, emergency management, fire departments and EMS worked together as they spent the day combing through the courthouses with bomb-sniffing dogs.

"It's not routine by any means," Queen said. "We appreciate help from everyone who responded."

The joint investigation is ongoing.