The Lafayette Parish Courthouse was evacuated Friday morning after a threat was made, authorities say.
The all clear was given a short time later, and everyone went back inside.
Before that happened, at least one judge continued with her business in the street.
Onlookers say Judge Valerie Gotch Garrett continued forward with her court's business, having staff call out the names of folks who were supposed to show up for court in the street next to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office.
Here's a photo of that:
The investigation is ongoing, but there have been several cases in the past - in Lafayette and elsewhere - when someone who was scheduled to appear in court called in a threat against a courthouse in order to avoid facing a judge.
Here's what the sheriff's office says about the incident:
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating a bomb threat made to the Lafayette Parish Courthouse in downtown Lafayette. The threatening phone call was received just after 8:30 Friday morning. The caller advised multiple times that they intended to bomb the courthouse, located in the 800 block of S Buchanan St. Out of an abundance of caution, the nearly 400 civilians, courthouse staff and judges inside the building were immediately evacuated with the assistance of the LPSO’s bailiffs, patrol deputies and other support staff. Law enforcement investigators, including a trained explosives detection K9 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Police Department, entered the building to begin conducting safety protocols shortly after. The courthouse was ultimately deemed safe for reentry, and the “all clear” was given around 10:00 a.m. The identity of the suspect who called in the threats is still being determined at this time. No further information is available.
