Did the Denver Courthouse Have Bedbugs? Yes, but Not Anymore, Officials Say

People who visited the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse over the last few months might want to check their mattresses.

The Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, at 520 West Colfax Avenue, houses Denver's traffic, civil, county criminal, juvenile and small claims courts. Bedbugs were discovered in the building's main screening area in October, according to Craig Wells, a spokesperson for the Denver Department of General Services, at which point the screening area was temporarily closed and treated by pest control.

"We have found no evidence of bedbugs since then," Wells says. "This was an isolated incident which our facilities personnel responded to quickly."

But it's easier to eradicate insects than rumors, and whispers of the bedbugs' presence have persisted months later.

Wells says recent allegations of bedbugs in the courthouse were nothing but "rumors," but they'd spread far and wide — even coming from officials in other counties. As a result, a health inspector was brought in earlier this month to check the facility again.

"When the rumor of bedbugs resurfaced, we took immediate action to look into it," Wells notes. "It was determined that the building was free of bedbugs and the rumor was unsubstantiated."

Jon Sarche, spokesperson for the Colorado Judicial Department, confirms that an inspection was performed in the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse on January 10, and "nothing of concern was found."

Carolyn Tyler, spokesperson for Denver County Court, says the court "was not made aware of any issue with bedbugs until last week." By then, the new inspection had confirmed that the place was clean. "Therefore, this matter did not impact court proceedings," she adds.

No other judicial buildings have been inspected for bedbugs recently, according to Sarche.

Denver ranked fifteenth in the nation for most bedbug activity last year, according to an annual analysis released today, January 22, by pest-control company Orkin. The city has jumped two spots, up from seventeenth in 2022.

In December, Fox31 reported on untreated bedbug infestations at a family shelter at a Comfort Inn in Denver; Salvation Army officials called bedbugs and other pests “a regular occurrence at shelters throughout the city."

“Bedbugs are extremely resilient, making them difficult to control,” said Ben Hottel, Orkin entomologist, when Denver's new bedbug ranking was released. “Examining clothing and luggage regularly while traveling can help to catch a bedbug infestation in the early stages."

For Denver residents who fear they may have brought bedbugs home, Orkin suggests checking mattress tags and seams for the pests and for the tiny, ink-colored stains they leave behind. Bedbugs are also known to hide behind baseboards, headboards, electrical outlets and picture frames.

And very occasionally, on courtroom security-screening devices.