By Maggie Mullen, WyoFile
Authorities evacuated state offices in Cheyenne on Monday after the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office received a white substance in the mail, mirroring incidents at election offices in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.
Situated just north of the Capitol, the Herschler Building’s two wings house several state agencies, including the Secretary of State’s office, Wyoming Public Health Division, the State Treasurer’s Office, the Department of Education and the Department of Revenue.
“The [Secretary of State’s] office has notified county election officials advising them to be aware of suspicious mail and to use extra precaution,” according to a press release from the secretary of state’s office. “Law enforcement is currently evaluating and investigating the incident.”
Secretary Chuck Gray was attending a legislative committee meeting in Laramie on Monday morning and told lawmakers about what had happened.
“We just received notice that in our office … a white powder was opened in an envelope this morning,” Gray told the committee, adding that the Wyoming Highway Patrol had responded.
In Nebraska, the suspicious substance was determined to be non-hazardous, according to a press release.
“Authorities will turn over the envelope and its contents to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Postal Service authorities,” the press release states. “No one was harmed during the handling of the envelope and subsequent investigation.”
The Wyoming Highway Patrol did not respond to WyoFile’s request for comment by press time.
“The governor strongly condemns any attempt to intimidate or cause real harm to elected officials,” Gordon’s spokesman Micheal Pearlman told WyoFile. He also confirmed that the FBI would be taking over the active investigation.
“The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials in several states. Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident and safely collect the letters,” the FBI said in a written statement to WyoFile.
“We are also working with our partners to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters. As this is an ongoing matter we will not be commenting further on the investigation, but the public can be assured safety is our top priority. We would also like to remind everyone to exercise care in handling mail, especially from unrecognized senders. If you see something suspicious, please contact law enforcement immediately.”
This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
