DORCHESTER, ST CHARLES: They weren’t expecting anything in the mail which looked like this letter. Both residents of this quiet neighborhood home are federal government workers (one with White House communications), so they’ve been trained to identify the warning signs of letter bombs. The look of this letter really concerned them; they called the Sheriff’s Office.
Investigating officers agreed with the homeowners and called the State Fire Marshall’s bomb squad. Deputy State Fire Marshal Joseph Zurolo spoke with the Bay Net about the call. After he and three team members (DSFMs Flanagan, Mulligan, Stevens) arrived at the scene, they safely opened the letter accompanied by a squad of Emergency Services and Volunteer Firefighters standing by. It turned out to be completely safe, to the homeowners’ relief and chagrin.
Zurolo insists there was nothing to be embarrassed about. “Hey, it’s our job. Better safe than sorry; letter bombs are easy to make.” He’d much rather answer a call to the scene of a false alarm than attend the aftermath of a tragedy because people “didn’t want to bother them”.
The Maryland State Fire Marshall’s bomb squad answers several letter bomb calls each year for counties who don’t have their own bomb squad.
Anna Dailey is the Bay Net’s associate editor covering Charles County. To contact her about this article or other community events comment below or email annadailey@thebaynet.com.