ST. GEORGE – There are still bats in the belfry – and everywhere else – at the 5th District Court in St. George Friday night as Halloween merriment descends on Southern Utah.

“The timing couldn’t be better – or worse, depending how you look at it,” Rick Davis, trial court executive for the 5th District Court, said.

Reportedly thousands of bats have shown up in the court building this week just in time for Halloween, interrupting court proceedings and causing some areas of the building to be temporarily closed.

Davis said the facilities workers at the courthouse are currently trying to pinpoint exactly how the bats got in. Work is currently being done on the exterior of the building, and one theory is the bats may have gotten in through a vent that was left open by workers.

Davis said he doesn’t know exactly how many bats have taken up residence in the courthouse, but the Division of Natural Resources has been working with the court facilities department to catch and release the bats. Davis said it is unknown at this point how long it will take to remove all of them.

“This morning, there were still bats hanging out of the light fixtures, so they’ve got a lot of work to do,” Deputy Washington County Attorney Ryan Shaum said.

Court proceedings have been able to continue during the bat infestation, Davis said, but some shuffling has had to be done to keep operations flowing.

Shaum said the timing of a bat infestation just before Halloween almost seems like a seasonal prank.

“You would think,” he said. “I mean, how coincidental is that?”

“Welcome to Halloween,” he added.

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