Leavenworth Downtown Area Reopened After Bomb Scare

Leavenworth Washington has reopened after a bomb threat late last night sent officials scurrying to evacuate the downtown area.

According to a press release from the Chelan County Sheriff's Department, here is what transpired:

On December 29, 2020, Sheriff Brian Burnett reports RiverCom received an anonymous male caller who advised there was an explosive device in a garbage can in the 800 block of Front Street, Leavenworth.

Chelan County Deputies and the Washington State Patrol immediately responded to the area and began evacuations of a large portion of the downtown corridor. People outside the area were asked to shelter in place.

Highway 2 was also closed and traffic was re-routed. Once that was completed containment of the area was established and the Washington State Patrol Bomb Technician Team was requested for assistance.

The Bomb Technician Team responded through the difficult weather and then began a systematic search of the identified area using additional resources and canine teams. After the area was cleared, WSP Bomb Team turned the immediate area back over to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.

The downtown corridor and Highway 2 were reopened. The investigation is ongoing by the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Detectives unit.

A little after 2:30 AM, Leavenworth was reopened after a search was completed and the area deemed safe by law enforcement.

You can check out more details on this breaking news story here.