Polk County courthouse cleared after suspicious package scare

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By Monique Valdes

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Polk County courthouse in Bartow was evacuated Thursday night due to a suspicious package, according police

Police said that a security officer found a suspicious device with wires coming out of it outside the east side entrance of the building at about 6:30 p.m.

After determining the device was suspicious, the area was secured by police and firefighters and the courthouse was evacuated.  The Polk County Sheriff's Office brought bomb-detection dogs and the Tampa Bomb Squad also responded to investigate.

The bomb squad used a robot to inspect the package, which turned out to be discarded electronics trash.

Earlier in the day, the Bartow Police Department received a phoned in bomb threat for the Police Department.  The call turned out to be a hoax.

[ The scare at the courthouse happened as federal investigators work to track down who sent package bombs to multiple political figures and public figures.  ]

A law enforcement source told The Associated Press that Miami-Dade police have gone to a mail-sorting facility in Opa-Locka, Florida, at the request of the FBI in connection with the suspicious package investigation.