Lake County buses cleared after bomb threat

LEESBURG, Fla. – Bus service in Lake County resumed Thursday after being halted because of a bomb threat, according to officials.

"All LakeXpress fixed route buses are back up and running after an unfounded threat was made in Mount Dora regarding a bus on the Leesburg route," officials said.

Earlier, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said a LakeXpress bus driver was approached around 7:15 a.m. by two men on bikes who claimed there was a bomb on a bus in the Leesburg area.  The men said the bomb would explode later in the day, according to officials.

"The threat was vague, so all buses were immediately pulled from service," said Ken Harley, Lake County public transportation manager. "All drivers were notified, pulled over and got the passengers safely off the buses. The passengers reached out to family and friends to pick them up."

The Lake County Sheriff's Office inspected and cleared all seven buses that were running along LakeXpress' four routes during the time of the threat.

Lake County's paratransit service, Lake County Connection, was not affected.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation.