State police investigating KY capitol lockdown due to potential ‘hoax’ threat

Kentucky Capitol staff were briefly on lockdown Tuesday afternoon in the wake of a “reported threat” that may have been a “hoax.”

Kentucky State Police posted on X that they were investigating the matter and advised the public to avoid the area.

Multiple state employees in Frankfort told the Herald-Leader that lockdowns were put in place Tuesday around 3:00 p.m. for staff at the Capitol and the Capitol Annex.

Not long after the lockdown was called, they were given an “all clear” to return to their work stations. Just before 4:00 p.m., state police said that they cleared the building.

“The building has been cleared and there is no threat at this time,” a state police spokesperson posted.

The call might have been a “hoax,” according to state police.

“The preliminary investigation indicates the threat was a hoax call and a search of the phone number appears to be associated with similar incidents in different parts of the country. The investigation remains ongoing,” the organization posted on social media.

Notably, the Connecticut Capitol in Hartford received a similar threat around the same time.

State police there reported police in Hartford, the state’s capital city, received a call around 3:20 p.m. from a person who threatened to carry out an armed attack at the state Capitol, according to the Republican-American in Waterbury.

The outlet reported that no individual was found there after a search was conducted.

In Kentucky, a spokesperson for the Legislative Research Commission, which employs legislative branch staffers, deferred comment about the incident to the Kentucky State Police.

A spokesperson for that agency has yet to respond to a request for comment.