Police were on the scene at the Athens-Clarke Count Courthouse Thursday, where a bomb threat was called in at about 1:40 p.m.

A court employee received a telephone call indicating there was a bomb in the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse, Capt. Hayden Hodges, a spokesman for the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, said in a news release.

The sheriff’s office immediately began the evacuation of the building, located on East Washington Street in downtown Athens.

Everyone was outside by 1:55 p.m., Hodges said.

A K9 unit arrived by 2:14 to conduct a sweep of the courthouse, during which a K9 alerted to a potential area. As a precaution, the U.G.A.P.D. Bomb Disposal Unit was called to investigate the area.

The area was deemed clear by the Bomb Disposal Unit and the courthouse was re-opened for normal business at 4:30 p.m., Hodges said.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department was contacted to conduct an investigation into the matter. The incident is being investigated at this time.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Cooper Harris was 22 months old when he died in 2014. His father, Justin Ross Harris, was convicted of his murder, a decision the Georgia Supreme Court later overturned. (AJC file)

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com