Suspicious powder incident in Helena investigated Play Video
Posted: Mar 9, 2010 1:10 PM
Updated: Mar 10, 2010 8:48 AM
HELENA - The Capitol complex in Helena was rattled on Tuesday when a state employee opened a suspicious envelope.
According to MT Department of Labor & Industry deputy director Sheryl Olson, at 9:00 a.m. a DLI employee opened an envelope, and then a trigger device released a white powder.
Helena Fire Department, Helena Police Department, and the State's General Services Division all responded to the Capitol complex.
Jim Murphy, Communicable Disesease bureau chief of MT DPHHS, said, "There are a couple of people that were right there when the envelope was opened and those folks are waiting to be cleared by the fire department and we expect that to happen within the next hour or so. There is not really a big concern for those people, but if they have some powder on them for instance that is something we want to make sure they don't track around to other places.
Murphy says the hazmat team isolated three DLI employees and a police officer, and moved employees working on that floor to other parts of the building.
The National Guard's 83rd Civil Support Team then responded to the scene to field-test the substance and transport it to the state lab, which is located just across the street from the DLI building.
Major Dean Roberts of the 83rd Civil Support Team noted, "From our training over the last year, the courses we've been to and the work that we've done, literally white powders - there is such a broad spectrum. It literally could be from chalk to simple sugars. And more times than not that is of course what it is."
Roberts says preliminary field-test showed the substance was not harmful, but further tests will be conducted at the state lab.
Helena Police Department officials say the envelope was mailed from Butte and they do have a person of interest in the case.
Dave Jeseritz, assistant chief of HPD, said, "There is other information that I haven't provided you that leads us to follow up with this person we are trying to track down besides just that return address. We have other information that we are following up on."
Jeserizt says depending on the intent of the sender, criminal charges could be pressed, adding that events like this cost all responders quite a bit of money, and recovering those costs from the sender is a possibility.
The Helena Police are not releasing what the substance was but the results from the state lab should be released later this week.
HELENA - Three employees of the MT Department of Labor & Industry and one Capitol police officer have been quarantined after exposure to a suspicious powder on Tuesday morning.
According to officials, an envelope was received at DLI mid-morning on Tuesday, and when it was opened, a white powder was released.
The third floor of the DLI building has been evacuated, and all workers on that floor have been relocated to other areas. Staff members are being permitted to leave, but only authorized personnel are permitted entry to the building.
Shortly after noon, HAZMAT team members suited up in order to transport the suspicious substance to the state lab across the street from the DLI building.
(first report)
HELENA - Reports of a suspicious substance at the Montana Department of Labor & Industry sparked an evacuation on Tuesday morning in Helena.
Emergency response crews, including firefighters, a hazardous materials team, and police, responded quickly and are still investigating the situation. There are no reports of illness or injury at this time.
We have a reporter on the scene and will bring you more information as it becomes available.
It was just two months ago that another downtown Helena building was evacuated; in that instance, city workers were re-lining sewer pipes near the Power Building with a styrene solution and the fumes from that process were filling the building, causing several people to become ill.
