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Bomb threat shuts down state buildings

State employees in three buildings near the Capitol were evacuated for up to two hours after a bomb threat was called into the Georgia Court of Appeals at 47 Trinity Avenue Tuesday morning.

No details were released about the phone call but Sgt. James Wicker, of the Georgia State Patrol, says a loose reference was also made about the Judicial Building nearby so it was evacuated as well as the Judicial Annex.

Bomb sniffing dogs were taken floor by floor in each building, but nothing was found.

State employees practice fire drills several times a year and followed their evacuation plan.

Craig Corbett, who works in the annex building, was out of his office for more than an hour but tells WSB's Sandra Parrish he'd rather be safe than sorry.

"I'm glad that they err on the side of caution," he says.  "I'd rather it be a false alarm or something they take seriously and they take precautions to ensure everybody's safety."

The Capitol was not evacuated, but Gov. Nathan Deal says he believes the situation was handled appropriately.

"We live in a world in which this happens and we have to just be as prepared as possible," he says.  "We always have to prepare for the worst and I think our law enforcement agencies react appropriately."

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