Athens-Clarke courthouse closed due to bed bugs found on three floors
The Athens-Clarke County Courthouse is closed for the remainder of the week while bug exterminators address an outbreak of bed bugs found inside the building.
Athens-Clarke County issued the message late Tuesday after the pests were found “in areas of the building."
Superior Court Chief Judge Eric Norris said Wednesday morning he has prepared an order closing the building, but that some court services will still be available this week. Jury trials scheduled for the week have been cancelled.
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The Clerk of Courts office will still be able to accept electronic filings, Norris said, and a judge will be available for other emergency needs such as temporary protection orders and other orders needed on a timely basis.
“We’ll continue to do the operation, but just won’t be bringing the public in on a large-scale basis,” Norris said. "It should be open Monday, but Sunday I'll follow up and make sure everything is ready to go."
Bed bugs feed on blood and cause itchy bites, which irritate their human hosts, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Bed bugs are considered a public-health pest, but they are not known to transmit or spread disease, the EPA reported on its website.
The government reported that due to the number of visitors and employees who enter the courthouse, the source of the bugs is not known.
Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams said Wednesday he learned about the bugs late Tuesday and he called for an inspection of the jail.
“As of now we’ve already inspected the jail and the best we can tell is it is not affecting the jail,” he said.
Athens-Clarke Communications Director Jeff Montgomery said Wednesday that evidence of the bugs have been found on the first three floors of the courthouse
The bugs were initially located by a visiting attorney who noticed one on the first floor and brought it to the attention of the facilities staff, according to Montgomery.
"We’re very appreciative of this guest of the courthouse and any resident who brings issues of concern about our facilities to our attention to investigate and mitigate if necessary," Montgomery said.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Bed bugs cause closure of Athens courthouse for rest of week
