Fire threat called on courthouse, jail

The 911 dispatchers at the Jasper County Sheriff's office received a call threatening to burn down the courthouse and jail last Wednesday, Nov. 15, according to Sheriff Ronnie McBride.

The call was made using a prepaid cell calling card, making it difficult to trace further, but McBride says he has a few leads he is pursuing. The call was garbled, but

the caller was apparently irate about "sentencing someone to 20 years." McBride said the only person sentenced recently received seven years.

The sheriff's department performed a low-key search of both buildings without evacuating either one.

McBride is asking that anyone who may have overheard a conversation call the sheriff's office at 384-5417.