Man Arrested After Suspicious Package Found at Courthouse
The Douglas County Courthouse was evacuated last Friday after a suspicious package was found on the sidewalk near 18th and Harney streets near the entrance to the fright elevators.
Authorities later arrested a 26-year-old man who had been at the courthouse to resolve a traffic matter, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The man was charged with a felony for placing a false bomb and a misdemeanor for obstructing government operations.
A search of his vehicle and home also resulted in several drug charges. He was found to have 232 pounds of suspected marijuana in his vehicle, as well as more than $414,000. MDMA, suspected marijuana and more cash was discovered in his residence.
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows someone go from County Clerk window No. 7 to the second floor exit of the courthouse.
The person jumps over the railing and pushes over a “no smoking” sign before walking to a parked SUV near the Hearney Street patio area, which was parked facing the wrong way in a construction zone. The person then stops in the intersection of 18th and Harney streets, pulls up to the service entrance to the courthouse and removes two boxes from his backseat and sets them side-by-side on the sidewalk prior to driving away at 2:03 p.m.
“The packages had been placed in a way that would draw attention and that a reasonable person would construe as suspicious and threatening due to their proximity to a public facility entrance,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “Once the packages were brought to the attention of courthouse deputies, out of an abundance of caution for the general public, the Douglas County Courthouse and City County Building were evacuated and surrounding streets were shut down.”
The Omaha Police Department bomb squad ultimately used an explosive charge on the packages, and no bomb was discovered.
Investigators tracked the suspect to his home and began surveillance. They then followed the suspect, who was driving a truck, to a commercial parking lot near 133rd and West Center Road. At that time, a deputy made contact and arrested the suspect.
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