A five-hour evacuation of the Cherokee County Justice Center and historic courthouse in Canton ended Monday when the sheriff's department found no bombs in the buildings.

A threat had been called in at 9:05 a.m. Monday, saying a bomb would go off by noon. The buildings were evacuated about 9:15 a.m.

"We sounded the all-clear at 2:15 p.m.," said Sgt. Jay Baker, the Cherokee County sheriff's department spokesman.

Baker said all county business was cancelled for the day. Some county employees were let back into the buildings, but it was closed to everyone else.

Baker said jurors and county employees were allowed to fetch their vehicles from the parking deck and Main Street and leave at about 1 p.m.

Baker said the call to the 911 center did not specify which courthouse was the target of the bomb threat.

"To be on the safe side, we evacuated both buildings," he said.

Baker said sheriff's deputies and dogs had completed searches of the perimeter and parking deck by 11:30 a.m. Because it was then so close to noon, officials decided to wait until 12:15 p.m. to start searching inside the buildings.

Trials were scheduled to begin Monday, but Baker said nothing stood out as a red-flag case.

"It's possible somebody didn't want to come to court today," he said.

He said Tuesday should be "business as usual" with court in session.