Suspect arrested after threat prompts evacuation, closure of Stockton courthouse
STOCKTON – A bomb threat prompted the San Joaquin County Courthouse in Stockton to be evacuated Wednesday morning.
The sheriff's office said the threat was reported to dispatch a little before 10:30 a.m.
Exactly what was stated in the threat has not been disclosed, but the message prompted a security assessment that resulted in officials to decide on evacuating the courthouse.
"We take all threats seriously and are fully committed to a thorough investigation," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Due to the situation, the sheriff's office said the courthouse would remain closed for the rest of the day.
On Thursday, the sheriff's office announced that they had identified and arrested a suspect -- Stockton resident Juan Enrique Cantu Valles -- in connection to the threat.
Valles is facing numerous charges, including threatening an elected official.
While authorities haven't said it's related, the Stockton incident happened on the same day as an explosion at a courthouse in Southern California that left two people hurt.
The Santa Maria explosion appears to have been intentionally set off, officials said; a man has been detained.