By Pete O’Cain
The Wenatchee World
LEAVENWORTH — A bomb threat Tuesday forced authorities to evacuate downtown Leavenworth near Front Street and close Highway 2 traffic.
The area was reopened about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Sgt. Jerry Moore with the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.
No explosives or suspicious packages were found after a search of the area by bomb sniffing dogs from the Washington State Patrol and FBI, as well as a subsequent search by law enforcement officers, Moore said. No one has been arrested or detained in connection to the threat. The investigation continues.
The threat was made in the 800 block of Front Street, according to a sheriff’s office public safety alert.
Undersheriff Jason Mathews said at 8 p.m. a male, described as difficult to understand, called the RiverCom Dispatch business line from a blocked number and reported an explosive device in an unspecified location. Mathews added the man said, “I’m not (expletive) around, it’s inside the…” but dispatchers could not understand where the man said the bomb was.
Bomb technicians were called in, evacuations ordered and residents outside the downtown corridor were asked to shelter in place. Traffic from Highway 2 was diverted around Leavenworth.
Cascade Medical Center’s Emergency Department was placed in a lockdown in response to the threat, but remained open to emergency cases, the hospital said on Facebook. The hospital resumed normal activity after the threat was cleared, Cascade said in a follow-up post.
Snowy road conditions delayed the response of a bomb technician headed to Leavenworth to aid in the investigation of a bomb threat.
A Moses Lake bomb technician with the Washington State Patrol were at the scene but officials needed the second bomb technician, based in western Washington, before it could begin investigating, Mathews said at 10:50 p.m.
Chains were required on all vehicles except those with all-wheel drive on Snoqualmie and Stevens passes as late Tuesday evening, according to the state Department of Transportation.
