***THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED FROM A PREVIOUS VERSION TO INCLUDE NEW INFORMATION FROM AUTHORITIES***
(Rock Rapids)– The Lyon County Courthouse in Rock Rapids is currently closed to the public and will remain so the rest of the week.
According to a press release from county officials, the incident took place during the overnight hours last (Tues.) night. The damage was discovered this (Wed.) morning when an employee arrived for work.
The press release says multiple areas of the Lyon County Courthouse were significantly damaged with writing on walls, broken glass, knocked down Christmas trees and items that were thrown. It doesn’t say how entry to the building was gained. No county employees were in the building at the time of the incident.
Deputies from the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and state troopers are on the scene. Authorities say they’re working to maintain the integrity of the crime scene, and because of that, along with the significant amount of clean up that will be needed, the Lyon County Courthouse will remain closed the rest of the week.
Authorities say as of now they have no suspects in custody, but they do say suspect information is planned to be released later today (Wed.).
An email from the 3rd Judicial District which covers several counties in northwest Iowa, including Lyon, says that due to the closure of the Lyon County Courthouse, electronic court filings for that county will be processed in the interim by the Osceola County Clerk of Court’s Office. The notice also states that anyone with a scheduled court date at the Lyon County Courthouse should also contact the Osceola County Clerk of Court at 712-754-3595.
