At 12:01 p.m. on Friday, June 8 a Charles County employee reported that a suspicious letter was in the building’s mail room that had remnants of a strange substance.
At least three employees came in contact with the above mentioned envelope.
The Safety and Risk Management Office was immediately notified and the Sheriff’s office was called to the scene. The mail room was immediately closed and shuttered and the employees were isolated to another area of the building.
The Sheriff’s office notified the county’s hazardous materials team (Hazmat), who responded to the scene within seven minutes.
In an effort to protect everyone, the employees were moved to the building’s auditorium, since the auditorium’s air conditioning functions on a separate system. Some areas of the building were evacuated and the air handling units were shut down.
The Hazmat team entered the building and secured the evidence. A series of test were performed to ensure that there was no danger. The report of “nagative” was issued at 1:25 p.m.
At 1:28 p.m. an “all clear” was issued. The Hazmat team triple bagged and removed the envelope. Its contents was handed to the Sheriff’s Department at 1:35 p.m.
This notice was provided by Charles County government as a public service to the community.