Bomb squads remove device from Wilmington courthouse steps

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Authorities in Wilmington say the downtown area is safe after bomb squads removed a device from the steps of the county courthouse.

New Hanover County deputy Charles Smith with the told the Star-News of Wilmington that someone called from a pay phone Monday morning and told authorities there was a bomb on the steps of the courthouse. Smith said the person then hung up the phone.

Authorities responded to the scene and confirmed there was the device item, and deputies directed traffic away from the area. The courthouse was closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Bomb squads from the police department and the sheriff's office responded. They removed the unidentified device. It wasn't immediately clear what the device contained.

Authorities were searching Monday for the caller, who was believed to be a white male driving an older-model pickup, possibly white or tan in color.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office at 910-798-4200.

3 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

3 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments

Apparently the guy was a real genius at work and did not read the large sign that has been posted on most of the entrances/doors for about 2 weeks "Closed for Holiday"....Glad no one was working there and no one was hurt and they had the bomb squad on the job.

gr
January 19, 2009 2:30 p.m.

With Wilmington being a moderately important port city, I'm sure they've had a bomb squad for quite a while.