Herschler Building evacuated due to letter containing unidentified white powder

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office received an unidentified white substance in the mail Monday morning, prompting an evacuation of the Herschler Building in Cheyenne, where the office is located.

Wyoming’s was among three secretary of state offices to receive suspicious mail, with the others being in Nebraska and Iowa. Reports out of those two states covering similar incidents did not mention a white powder, however.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray told the WTE via text message that his office immediately contacted law enforcement once the powder was discovered, and the building was evacuated. The office also notified county election officials, advising them to use precautions and be aware of potentially suspicious mail.

Law enforcement is investigating the incident, and the substance has yet to be identified.

“We take this very seriously,” Gray stated via a news release. “We will continue to work with law enforcement in monitoring this situation.”

The substance delivered in Nebraska was tested, identified and found to be non-hazardous. In both Wyoming and Nebraska, the envelopes and their contents have been turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Employees and others in the Herschler Building in Cheyenne were evacuated from the building by 11:30 a.m. By noon, a bomb squad carrying hazmat tubes on their backs entered the building. Cheyenne Fire Rescue was among the local authorities who responded to the scene.

Herschler Building East houses the Secretary of State’s Office, the Wyoming Departments of Education and Revenue, and the state treasurer’s and state auditor’s offices.

The substance, its origin and its potential consequences have not been identified at this time.

Concern about white powder in envelopes has been high since the week after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when letters laced with anthrax began appearing in the U.S. mail, according to FBI.gov. Five Americans were killed and 17 were sickened in what became the worst biological attacks in U.S. history, according to the FBI.