Washington County courthouse evacuated after hoax bomb threat

Officials evacuated the Washington County courthouse on Thursday morning in response to a bogus bomb threat, officials say.

Deputies got word of the threat shortly after 9 a.m. and cleared out the building’s occupants while they conducted a room-to-room search of the premises, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Officials said that the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Port of Portland and the Portland Metro Explosives Disposal Unit helped with the search.

But deputies didn’t find any explosive devices, and the courthouse reopened for regular sessions at 1 p.m. after investigators concluded the call was likely a hoax, officials said.

The incident is under investigation, and officials ask anyone with information to contact the sheri