City Hall evacuated, county offices closed, parents at one Springfield school asked to pick up children early. Multiple city, county and school buildings around Springfield were closed Thursday after a bomb threat “to multiple facilities throughout Springfield,” according to a city statement released Thursday morning. Springfield City Hall was evacuated around 8:30 a.m. Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott said at a Thursday afternoon press conference that City Hall, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Springfield Driver’s Exam Station, Ohio License Bureau on the south side, Springfield Academy of Excellence and Fulton Elementary School were all named in the threat and cleared using explosive-detecting canines. “I would like to stress that we are deeply committed to the safety of our entire community,” Elliott said. “Safety is a shared responsibility and it takes all of us; I encourage the public, if you see something, say something.” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said everyone who was in the City Hall building was moved out and is safe. Rue would not comment on the precise language of the threat but said it came from someone claiming to be from Springfield, and mentioned frustration with the city related to Haitian immigration issues. (…) The city statement said the bomb threat prompted “an immediate response from local and regional law enforcement. As a precautionary measure, the (city hall) building has been evacuated, and authorities are currently conducting a thorough investigation. Our primary concern is the safety and well-being of our employees and residents. We are working to address this situation as swiftly as possible.”
via spingfield news sun: Springfield City Hall, school, county hit by threats tied to Haitian immigration concerns