Cleveland County government sends out press release regarding March 10 incident

Staff reports | The Shelby Independent | Press Release | Cleveland County government

File photo graphic | The Shelby Independent

Cleveland County — In the wake of several unsettling bomb threats against various Cleveland County government offices, the county sent out a press release on Friday April 24, in regards to the specific incident on March 10, stating their findings and noting enhancements made to safety protocols. However, no other information has yet been made available on the matter, even after a public records request.

On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 1:26 p.m., The Shelby Independent made an official public records request for all email correspondence for Wednesday, March 11, 2026 between  (At the time) Information Technology Director Marty Gold and Cleveland County Manager David Cotton on the subject of safety concerns regarding building-related incidents, including but not limited to an alleged car fire in the adjacent parking lot and the alleged bomb threat on March 10, 2026.

While the public records request was not acknowledged in the press release, and it is unclear if anyone in administration was made aware of the request, no response from the public records department had been received by the date of receiving this press release from the county government and as of time of publication, 10 days later on April 24.

The Friday April 24, 2026 press release is published here, below:

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Cleveland County Completes Post-Incident Review of Emergency Response Protocols

CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — Cleveland County has completed its review of safety and emergency response protocols for County buildings, as well as the response to the March 10, 2026 bomb threat. The review included interviews conducted by the County Attorney with personnel from each department located in the Cleveland County Administrative Building.

While officials are grateful that the reported threat was ultimately determined not to be credible, no such incident can be presumed harmless at the outset. Based on information shared by employees, County officials determined that all departments were notified and that the vast majority of employees evacuated the building promptly. The review also identified opportunities to strengthen and refine existing processes. Additionally, it was noted that some employees were off-site at the time of the incident.

Accordingly, the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners has directed the County Manager to take immediate steps to enhance and refine the County’s safety and emergency response protocols and to implement periodic training to reinforce those procedures.

To that end, the County is taking proactive measures to improve its response capabilities, with a focus on more immediate and uniform communication. The County is actively working to secure a qualified emergency notification system to provide both employee and citizen mass notifications, as well as site-specific alerts, to ensure coordinated and effective communication in the event of future threats.

Due to the sensitive nature of emergency response planning, the County will not provide additional details regarding these enhancements. These efforts are intended to strengthen—rather than compromise—the safety of County employees and citizens who frequent County facilities.

The safety of County employees and the public remains the County’s highest priority. Cleveland County appreciates the swift response of emergency personnel and the continued cooperation of its staff as these improvements are implemented.

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Staff reports from The Shelby Independent and official press release via Cleveland County government.

The Shelby Independent.