Sherman police say suspect in custody after reported Towncenter threat

By GvilleTX Newsroom

SHERMAN, Texas - Sherman police said Thursday morning that Sherman Towncenter was clear and a suspect was in custody after officers investigated a reported threat that brought a large police response to the area. For Gainesville-area readers, the local connection is emergency notification: Gainesville also uses CodeRED for targeted emergency messages, including evacuation notices.

Police had earlier said they were investigating a reported threat in Towncenter and that there was no known continuing threat to the public, according to the department's public update. The same update noted a large police presence in the area while the investigation was active.

The theater in Sherman Town Center is Cinemark Sherman, which Cinemark lists at 3310 Town Center St. in Sherman. The accessible Sherman police record reviewed for this report did not say the department ordered or carried out a Cinemark evacuation.

No suspect name, charge, court filing or detailed description of the reported threat was included in the verified police update reviewed by GvilleTX Newsroom. The available police record described the matter as an investigation and said the suspect was in custody in connection with it.

Sherman's emergency management page says the city contracts with Grayson County for CodeRED notifications. The city says the system can send messages to all or targeted areas within Sherman and nearby areas, and that city or county emergency management officials can use it for incidents that include evacuation notices and bomb threats.

Grayson County describes CodeRED as a free public-safety service for the county and its sixteen cities. The county says the system can contact residents by telephone, text, email or TDD/TTY during emergencies, including evacuation notices.

Gainesville's Code Red page says the local system can call all or targeted areas of the city when an emergency requires immediate action. The city lists evacuation notices and routes as one emergency use for the system and says residents should not assume a phone number is already in the database.

City planning records also tie the Cinemark location to Sherman Town Center. Minutes from Sherman's Planning and Zoning Commission in 2017 list Cinemark USA Inc. as the tenant for property at 3310 Town Center Street in a wall-signage request involving the Cinemark building.