SALEM — A 39-year-old Salem woman has been charged in connection with a phoned-in bomb threat to the Ruane Judicial Center in Salem on Wednesday morning.
The five-story court complex on Federal Street was evacuated shortly after 9 a.m., after an employee received a phone call. Police were able to trace the call and identify the woman, who was found down the street from the courthouse and taken into custody.
She was identified as Adriana Rodriguez, 39, of 86 Essex St., Apt. 202, Salem. She was charged with making a threat to bomb or hijack, causing serious public alarm.
Police have not confirmed a motive.
Police brought in four trained dogs to look for any suspicious devices, but found none.
Meanwhile, several hundred people who were at the courthouse at the time filed out of the building and were told to wait across the street.
Federal Street between Washington and North streets was closed.
The courthouse is typically busier on Wednesdays because that is when the Northeast Housing Court holds sessions at the Salem courthouse.
The building was re-opened about 90 minutes after the evacuation, and court sessions resumed at 11 a.m., but a number of proceedings had to be postponed as a result of the hoax.
Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@gloucestertimes.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis.
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