ANGLETON, Texas — An all-clear was issued around 1 p.m. Thursday, a few hours after the entire downtown Angleton area was evacuated due to a bomb threat near the Brazoria County Courthouse.
The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office said it started with a phone call warning that two bombs were placed in vehicles near the courthouse on East Locust Street.
Angleton police identified Denise Pamela Mccullough, 70, as a person of interest in the investigation into who called in the threat. She’s described as being about 5 feet, 4 inches tall with blonde hair and green eyes. Her whereabouts are unknown and police are asking for the public’s help finding her. Investigators said she’s in shape and talks with a British accent. They said she’s known to be transient and frequently visits Brazoria and Galveston counties. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call their local authorities.
Editor’s note: The video in this article is from a previous report.
The courthouse was initially evacuated around 9 a.m. and people within a two-mile radius were asked to avoid the area.
About an hour later, BCSO evacuated the entire downtown Angleton area. Nearby Central Elementary was placed in secure mode as a precaution, Angleton ISD said. Streets in the area were shut down.
Around 1 p.m., the sheriff’s office gave the all clear. They said no bombs were found following multiple sweeps by local, state and federal investigators.
“We understand today’s events caused concern, and we appreciate the patience and cooperation of our community,” Sheriff Bo Stallman said. “We are grateful for the swift response of all law enforcement agencies who worked together to keep everyone safe.”
Attorney Joseph Gutheinz said he was evacuated from the courthouse just before 9 a.m. He said the sheriff’s office was taking people three miles away. Gutheinz said a deputy told him the situation was “serious.”
Gutheinz said he was on his first case of the day when he was told to leave the courthouse.
“All of a sudden, the police are just pushing us out the door and I’m, like, I’m just going to the courtroom. (They said) ‘Nope, we got a bomb threat. You’ve got to get out of here,'” he said.
He said the evacuation didn’t stop when he got out of the building.
“We crossed the street … that wasn’t good enough. Then, they pushed us across the parking lot. That wasn’t good enough. Finally, they pushed us back three blocks and at that point, they started transporting people three miles away to the rec center,” Gutheinz said.
The attorney took photos as people were being bussed away to safety. He stayed behind because he wanted to get his car. He said he was impressed with the law enforcement response.
“They have a lot of law enforcement out here. It’s very impressive. It gives me a sense of pride that our law enforcement agencies could come together and do the right thing,” he said.
The sense of relief was also felt by the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
“It has certainly been a scary day down in Angleton,” BCSO’s Madison Polston said.
The community is hoping the person responsible for the threat is brought to justice.
“I hope they find the individual who put all these people in jeopardy, affected businesses, affected lives and they hold them accountable,” Gutheinz said.
𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐧
After multiple thorough sweeps of the area, authorities have found no materials or devices…Posted by Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, February 27, 2025
Angleton ISD issued this statement:
“This morning, Central Elementary went into “secure” mode as a safety precaution due to a threat at the nearby Brazoria County Courthouse. Students and staff have been brought into the building and are safe.
“The “secure” mode is one of the district’s emergency response protocols. Students and staff are brought inside the building and all outside doors are locked. No one from outside is allowed inside during the “secure” mode, but the school operates as normal inside.”