Authorities say a man has been placed in protective custody after an outburst at the Lincoln County Courthouse.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the Lincoln County Courthouse at around 8:30 a.m. this morning on the report of a disturbance.

It was reported that a male subject was at the courthouse and was “very emotional and threatening to harm or shoot the first law enforcement officer he found.”

Chief Deputy Roland Kramer says, due to the size of the courthouse, deputies were unable to locate the man and he left the building.

Kramer says the man was located at a local gas station and taken into custody without incident.  It was determined that the man was suffering from a mental illness and he was placed into emergency protective custody.

The LCSO didn’t indicate that any charges were pending against the man.