Bomb Threat at County Administration Building

[Update: April 17, 2019, 2:35 p.m.] About 20 minutes ago, the County Administration Building was deemed cleared by law enforcement officers, and employees were able to return to work.

[Original Story] A bomb threat was called in for the County Administrative Building at approximately 10:40 a.m. today, said Santa Barbara Sheriff’s spokesperson Kelly Hoover. Shortly afterward, the building was evacuated and a suspicious package was investigated. Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, Santa Barbara Police Department, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Police Department K9 unit, and Cal State San Bernardino Police Department K9 unit responded and are investigating the threat. “The K9 teams were attending a regional training in Ventura County and were able to quickly respond and assist,” said Hoover. The package has since been cleared and a team of K9s are making their way through the four-story building on the corner of Anapamu and Anacapa before law enforcement allows people to repopulate the building.

Surrounding streets have been taped off, and Hoover advises people to avoid the downtown area. The building will be closed for the next several hours but will be open by tomorrow, she said.

Javier Limón, a computer service specialist, was working in the basement of the building when he was told to evacuate at 12:05 p.m., he said. Thirty minutes later, Limón received a call from an officer about a package with his name on it. Limón confirmed he was expecting the package. That package was been cleared and is no longer deemed to be suspicious.

More information will be released about the threat once the investigation is completed.

Editor’s Note: The name of the K9 unit was corrected April 22. Previously, the article named the unit as the Ventura County K9 unit.