The Rogers County Courthouse in Claremore closed at 12pm for reasons of public safety as a result of the stomach-turning discovery.
Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton said an unnamed lawyer was in third-floor during a docket call at 10.30am courtroom when another visitor noticed what appeared to be bedbugs crawling on his neck.
More bedbugs were found on some file folders after the same lawyer had placed his jacket over them.
Sgt Mike Clarke, the head of security at the courthouse, told 23ABC News the attorney in question appeared unfazed by the presence of the revolting critters on his body and clothes.
As a result of the infestation, the courthouse was evacuated as a precaution and exterminators were called in to rid the 90,000-square-foot building of the blood-sucking insects.
The attorney, according to the sheriff, conducts business at the county courthouse about once a month, reported Tulsa World.
The contamination disrupted the work of the courthouse and many hearings had to be rescheduled.
‘One judge had 146 cases on her docket for this morning, and it all had to be passed because of this,’ Clarke told NewsOn6. ‘So, it’s gonna set us back but we will have to make that up.’
The courthouse reopened at 8am on Tuesday and resumed its normal operation.
It is unclear at this time whether the lawyer responsible for the bedbug scare would have to foot the pest control service’s bill, which could be upwards of $5,000.
Daily Mail
