WILMINGTON — A bomb threat in downtown closed the courthouse campus on Third Street for an hour or so, according to county officials. Though a suspect allegedly behind the warning has since been detained.
A 911 call was made Monday morning regarding the bomb threat. According to Lt. Jerry Brewer of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, it was unclear if the caller meant the historic courthouse or the one adjacent to it, so law enforcement evacuated both.
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners were holding their regular meeting at 9 a.m. at the historic courthouse on Monday but it stopped just after 10 a.m. due to evacuations.
According to one person in attendance, Shannon Gentry, an officer cleared the room.
“I was there to listen to public comments about cuts made to the budget last week,” Gentry said, adding the room was around 90% full, give or take.
Gentry detailed the public was speaking as a law enforcement officer approached County Manager Chris Coudriet to inform what was going on, which then trickled down to commissioners.
A separate deputy then entered the room to tell the public in attendance that a “credible” threat was made against an adjacent building and directed the crowd to move outdoors.
“We treat all threats as ‘credible,'” Brewer told Port City Daily, noting the Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad Unit swept the buildings before allowing people back inside.
The commissioners’ meeting resumed in the 11:30 a.m. hour after the sheriff’s office claimed the premises was in the clear.
The 911 caller has been apprehended, according to Brewer. Benjamin Deon Patrick called in the threat at roughly 10:10 a.m. Law enforcement said he explained an explosive device had been placed within the courthouse (Port City Daily has requested the 911 call and will update upon receipt).
NHCSO arrested Patrick at his residence and charged him with making a false report concerning a destructive device, misuse of 911, and making a false report to law enforcement. He is in the New Hanover County Detention Facility under no bond.
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