BOMB SQUAD CALLED AFTER “SUSPICIOUS BAG” FOUND OUTSIDE AUSTIN CO. PRECINCT FOUR JP’S OFFICE

  

Several agencies responded Monday morning after what authorities call a “suspicious bag” was found outside the Austin County Justice of the Peace office in Wallis.

The Austin County Sheriff’s Office received a call at about 8 a.m. alerting to the bag at the Precinct Four Justice of the Peace building.  When deputies arrived to investigate, they found a backpack chained to the front door of the building, with the zippers of the backpack stitched together preventing the bag from being opened.

The Sheriff’s Office set up a perimeter and evacuated all residences in a one-block radius as a precautionary measure.  The Houston Police Department Bomb Squad responded to assist with the investigation, and upon arrival, bomb squad techs removed the device from the building.  They determined the backpack did not contain any dangerous materials.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, a local man was detained at the scene when deputies learned he was the one who put the bag at the county building.  He was ultimately taken by deputies to Memorial Hermann Katy for a mental health evaluation.

BNSF railroad authorities, at the direction of deputies, closed the nearby rail line until the “all clear” was given at approximately 11 a.m.

Also responding to the scene were Austin County EMS, the Wallis Fire Department, and Austin County Precinct Four Constable James Clark.