One Person Arrested After Separate Threats Made At Mayes County Courthouse

In the past two days, two separate threats have been made against the Mayes County Courthouse.

Deputies made one arrest and said they’re questioning another.

The Mayes County Sheriff’s Office said someone called the court clerk’s office and made the threat Thursday morning.

It took about 90 minutes for authorities to evacuate, search and reopen the courthouse in Pryor. It’s a process that’s been streamlined with two threats just this week.

The courthouse has metal detectors, with armed security, so deputies thought it would be unlikely for anything threatening to be inside, but they didn't take the chance and called the Highway Patrol Bomb Squad.

"They came out with a bomb dog, they did a sweep of the building, that sweep did not find anything unusual or alarming at all," Captain Rod Howell said.

The courthouse evacuation came within minutes of a threatening call of a bomb having been placed in the building, according to Howell.

The call about a bomb came 24 hours after another threat against the courthouse.

"There was a call about a chemical agent, actually an unknown agent," Howell said.

In that case, deputies found and arrested Phillip Wayne Baucom. He's being held on $100,000 bond for making the threatening call about something in the courthouse.

With the procedures for a threat fresh on their minds, the response to the bomb threat Thursday was quick.

"We know there's a process, and everybody followed their process and it worked well. We got everybody back to work and judges back to court,” said Mike Dunham with Mayes County Emergency Management.

Deputies said they are continuing to question a man about Thursday’s bomb threat.