Courthouse threats tracked down

The suspect at the centre of a courthouse lockdown and manhunt Thursday was not at large for long.

The 39-year-old was picked up shortly after allegedly levelling threats, causing the downtown disturbance. Police have not disclosed the nature of the communication. The suspect's identity was not disclosed pending formal charges, but police confirmed he has history with the police.

Just before the end of the business day at the Prince George Courthouse, police and sheriffs surrounded the block and locked down the entire facility.

"He left the building before we could find him but with subsequent investigation, we located the suspect at about 6:30 p.m., less than three hours after the threat was made," said Prince George RCMP media relations officer Gary Godwin.

"He was in one of the city shopping centres. He was arrested without incident and taken into custody. He is still in custody. Criminal Code charges related to making threats will be forwarded to Crown counsel."

It was Crown counsel that the suspect is accused of threatening.

"We had credible information that this suspect had made threats against the Crown prosecution team. No specific person was the subject of the threat," Godwin told The Citizen.

"It happens more infrequently than you might think," said provincial acting Crown spokeswoman Samantha Hulme. "Most people involved with the court system understand that there is nothing personal involved in what the people involved in the court process are doing."

She explained that there is a provincial program in place for when something like this does happen. Immediate action is taken together with sheriffs and police, when threat response is needed.