Bomb threat at Leighton Criminal Courthouse, nothing found

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - People were briefly prevented from entering the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Thursday morning after police received a report of a bomb in the area of the courthouse.

Nothing turned up during an initial search inside, so eventually the public was let inside, Sophia Ansari, a spokeswoman with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The courthouse, at 26th and California, was officially “cleared” by 12:30 p.m.. Nothing was found, Ansari said.

Sheriff’s officials could be seen with a dog sniffing at a nearby garbage can and other rooms about 11:30 a.m.

Courthouse activity has resumed.

Ansari said the courthouse was never evacuated after police received a call about a bomb being in the area at 9:30 a.m. Whoever was inside was allowed to remain. But no one outside was let in for a short period, Ansari said.

Us Il/cook County/chicagoNews