HOUSTON, Texas – City of Houston Municipal Courts Department (MCD) operations at the Herbert W. Gee Municipal Courthouse resumed this morning shortly after strong, gas-like odor caused a building evacuation at 9:30 a.m. Employees received the all-clear at 11:00 a.m., and most court attendees were back by inside the building by 11:15 a.m.
“Our duty to safeguard our staff and court visitors warranted the evacuation so that the proper authorities could investigate and determine when it would be safe to re-enter the building,” stated Judge J. Elaine Marshall, Director and Presiding Judge of the Municipal Courts Department. “Thankfully, court operations continued without incident,” said Judge Marshall. Individuals with court appearances today should attend as scheduled. At the time of this release, CenterPoint remains on the scene checking to ensure the gas levels are acceptable. For additional information about Municipal Courts or court cases, please visit the website at www.houstontx.gov/courts, or call the Houston Helpline at 3-1-1 or 713-837-0311 if outside of Houston. ### |