Crime & Safety
Authorities Pursue Leads in Kane County Bomb Threats
A series of threats made Wednesday morning targeted three court offices, sparking evacuations and searches that found nothing suspicious. Offices reopened at 1 p.m.
Kane County investigators are pursuing a few leads as they try to learn who was responsible for a bomb threat that sparked the evacuation of the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles, as well as other court offices in St. Charles and Elgin on Wednesday morning.
A search of the three offices yielded no suspicious items, and all three officesreopened by 1 p.m. No arrests have been made, according to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.
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“Due to the ongoing investigation we are not going to release and additional specific details about the incident at this time,” stated a release from sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Pat Gengler. Lt. Pat Gengler. “We do not anticipate any new development today. Should any new information become available a release will be sent out.”
Word of the series of bomb threats hit social media when they were publicized by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office (follow @KaneSAO) over its Twitter feed at 10:21 a.m. Tuesday.
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The Kane County Sheriff’s Office responded shortly after on its new Twitter account (follow @KaneCoSheriff), which Gengler said he was preparing to launch next week but decided to launch it early because of the bomb threats and his desire to “push information out faster.”
An initial press release went out shortly before 11 a.m.
Authorities said a series of threats were made to three court offices — the Kane County Branch Court, which occupies the same building as the Kane County Clerk’s Office in St. Charles, the Kane County Judicial Center on Route 38 in St Charles, and the Elgin Branch Court.
The threats prompted the evacuation of the buildings and a search that turned up no suspicious items, and the offices were reopened about 1 p.m.
2:30 p.m. update:
The Kane County Judicial Center on Route 38 in St. Charles and the Kane County Branch Court reopened at 1 p.m. after a search of the facilities revealed no suspicious items in the wake of a bomb threat Wednesday morning.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office used its new Twitter account to get the word out this afternoon.
In St. Charles, authorities evacuated the Kane County Judicial at Route 38, and the the Kane County Branch Court and Kane County Clerk's Office, which are in the same building in St. Charles. The Elgin Branch Court in Elgin also reopened.
11:13 a.m. post:
Bomb threats targeting three Kane County court offices are under investigation by the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.
According to authorities, the threats were made to three court offices — the Kane County Branch Court and Kane County Clerk’s Office, which are both housed in the Kane County Judicial Center on Route 38 in St Charles, and one to the Elgin Branch Court.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office said all three offices have been evacuated. Kane County officials anticipate the resumption of services by this afternoon.
All person who were at the courthouses at the time of the threat or are scheduled for court this afternoon should appear for the start of the 1 p.m. court call at the respective court house.
