Bomb threat clears Santa Rosa County Courthouse

A mid-morning bomb threat called into the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office turned out to be a hoax.

Deputies are now investigating who made the call to their offices, warning of a bomb at the Santa Rosa County Courthouse in Milton at 9:24 July 7.

Without knowing the severity of the threat, Jim Killingsworth, head of security at the courthouse, took the utmost precaution and ordered the immediate evacuation of the building.

Dozens of courthouse patrons waited in the overflow parking area behind the building while a tactical team with the SRSO went room-by-room, searching for any sign of an explosive device.

ATF of Pensacola was called in with its bomb-sniffing dog, Sunshine and his handler, Special Agent Kent Slay.
By 11:28 a.m., Sunshine and Slay had not found any explosive device and the building was deemed safe to re-enter.