BARTOW, Florida — The Polk County courthouse in Bartow was evacuated Thursday evening after a suspicious device was located nearby. The device was later identified to be "discarded electronics."

Officials said around 6:30 p.m. officers responded to the courthouse in response to a call from courthouse security about the device. The initial investigation led officers to believe the device, located outside of the courthouse's east entrance, was suspicious.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene with bomb detection dogs, and the Tampa Bomb Squad also joined the investigation.

Utilizing a robot, the bomb squad determined that the device was discarded electronic trash.

Earlier in the day, the Bartow Police Department received a bomb threat that was determined to be not credible.