Homes evacuated after man makes threat

Austin (KXAN) - Austin police ordered several homes evacuated overnight, after a custody battle led to a bomb threat.

It happened at a home in the 1500 block of Cinnamon Path in South Austin.

Police said it started around 10 p.m. Sunday,  when a man texted his ex-girlfriend, threatening to blow up the house at midnight.

The woman was not in the home at the time, but her parents and her two children were inside. Officers evacuated the home, and also cleared several neighbors out of their homes in the area as they investigated the threat.

"Our bomb squad guys came out and did a check of the house, did a sweep," said Austin Police Sgt. Don Doyle. "They determined there were no devices inside the home or around the home."

It took about three hours to clear things up and let residents back into their homes.

Doyle did not identify the man who made the call, but he said that the man admitted to sending the text, and that it was a hoax. He could face charges of making a terroristic threat, police said.

Doyle said that the ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend are in the midst of a custody battle, which may have led to the threat.