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Wayne County Treasurer's Office closes abruptly Friday due to threats

Posted at 1:16 PM, Nov 06, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-06 18:19:35-05

(WXYZ0 — The Wayne County Treasury Office announced it is closing early due to threats.

In a statement, the county said that they had received credible information from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office to threats at 400 Monroe. That's where the office is located in Greektown.

The office said they are closing "in the interest of the safety of taxpayers and our staff."

Wayne County Sheriff's Benny Napoleon told reporters they had information saying there may have been attempts to "go over and storm the building" in an attempt to steal ballots. The threat came as 7 Action News has also learned of a bomb threat against the TCF Center, where ballots are being counted.

"These are not normal times. This nation is more divided than I've ever seen it in my lifetime," Napoleon says. "We are prepared to deal with whatever comes to town."

Napoleon says his office has been in touch with both Detroit Police Chief James Craig and Michigan State Police in case they need to call them in in the event of a problem.

"We've heard the same thing regarding the militias," Napoleon says. "People have a right to protest and bear arms. We respect that, but the Detroit Police Department and Wayne County Sheriff and MSP, we're ready for whatever happens. They will not catch us off guard."

He says while they hope they don't need to do anything, they are prepared.

"You're gonna be arrested," Napoleon says. "Police will arrest you and they will put you in my jail. It's that simple."