Bedbugs Close Rogers County Courthouse

The Rogers County Courthouse has been shut down after the building had to be evacuated.

People attempting to get inside the Rogers county courthouse on Monday were met with confusion and locked doors after the building was evacuated and closed due to bedbugs brought in by a lawyer in a third-floor courthouse.

“A courthouse user noticed them and said she could visibly see something crawling on his neck which was later found to be bed bugs.  He had also placed his jacket over some file folders and when his jacket was moved bed bugs were discovered there,” said Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton.

The sheriff’s office isn’t releasing the lawyer's name but says it was the last thing they wanted to deal with on a busy Monday morning.

“One judge had 146 cases on her docket for this morning, and it all had to be passed because of this.  So, it’s gonna set us back but we will have to make that up,” said Sgt. Mike Clark.

Once the bugs were found, the County Commissioner and emergency management decided not to take any risks and shuttered the building until 8 a.m. Tuesday morning while exterminators spray.

“Cleared the courtroom but we also had inmates in the courtroom which caused concern. So, at that time we evacuated everyone from the courtroom,” said Sgt. Clark.

“We are certainly not happy with someone coming in that condition to inconvenience everyone else in that building,” said Sheriff Walton.

Everyone inside the courtroom was advised over the PA system of what to do with their clothing as soon as they get home and told them about a website they can visit if they feel like they’ve come in contact with any bed bugs.

“We’ve evacuated for fire alarms and bomb threats but never to my knowledge for bed bugs.  This is my first experience I’ve had with them,” said Sgt. Clark.

The cost to exterminate could range around $5,000 or more. As for who will be responsible for paying that? The lawyer or the Rogers county taxpayers? That is still up in the air.