SPRING GROVE, MN – Downtown Spring Grove was shut down for the better part of six hours Friday as police responded to what turned out to be a hoax bomb threat.
The Facebook page of Houston County Emergency Management posted two status updates throughout the duration of the encounter. The first advised all visitors to stay out of Spring Grove entirely until further notice. The second warned that all Houston County Government Building had been shut down and the public was not allowed inside.
Houston County Sheriff Mark Inglet told KTCC that a bomb threat had been called in alleging that a vehicle was rigged with explosives.
Authorities were investigating a blue van, and called in the St. Paul bomb squad to investigate reports ABC 6 News. The owner of the van talked to ABC 6 and denied any involvement in the bomb threat and said he did not know why police were searching his vehicle.
The all clear was given around 8:30 p.m., with Spring Grove Mayor Sarah Schroeder saying the situation appeared resolved and that firefighters were headed home, reports the Star Tribune.
Throughout the response, media outlets across the state used what little information was available, mainly relying on other media members to report the facts of the situation.
The Houston County Emergency Management Facebook has not updated their page to reflect the all clear status. As of 10 p.m. Friday the last update remains the one regarding the shutdown of all government building due to an “emergency situation.”
Roughly 1,330 people reside in Spring Grove.
