Escambia County’s satellite courthouse in Atmore reopened today (Friday, April 7) after a Monday lightning strike damaged the facility’s computer system and forced a temporary closure.
District 4 County Commissioner Brandon Smith and County Administrator Tony Sanks confirmed that the satellite courthouse was closed to the public for most of the week after Monday’s storm caused the damage.
The courthouse’s phone system was also knocked out by the storm, but crews were working Friday morning to restore service.
Smith and Sanks reported that initial plans were to reopen the facility on Thursday but the part needed for the computer system was delayed a day due to inclement weather across the Southeast.
Once the phone system is back online, full operations will resume at each of the offices in the satellite courthouse, the county officials said.