(Adel, IA) – Officials with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office report the office was notified at around 4:50-a.m. Friday (Feb. 6th, of a bomb threat involving the Dallas County Courthouse. Deputies immediately responded and conducted a safety check of the exterior of the building. No suspicious items were located. Interior security cameras were reviewed, and there was no evidence of any after-hours entry into the courthouse.

As a precaution, the courthouse was placed on lock-down and the opening was delayed to allow for a more thorough search. The delayed opening was communicated through the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office App, social media, and appropriate notifications were made to courthouse employees. Dallas County requested assistance from the State Fire Marshal Division of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, including the deployment of a specialized K-9 unit. The entire courthouse was searched both in person and by the K-9. No items posing a threat to public safety were found, and at this time there is no evidence to suggest the threat was credible.

The courthouse reopened for normal operations at approximately 8:50 a.m. The incident remains under investigation. Authorities say no further information will be released at this time.