Secretary of State offices in Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa receive suspicious packages
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Secretary of State offices in Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa both reported receiving suspicious items in the mail on Monday.
The three state offices were among at least six targeted Monday. Election officials in Tennessee, Wyoming, and Oklahoma also reported similar events.
In Nebraska, Secretary of State Bob Evnen's office said in a news release that the elections division received an envelope that staff determined to be "suspicious," and was placed in an isolated area in the office per security protocols.
Evnen's office contacted the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) about the piece of mail. NSP subsequently called Lincoln Fire and Rescue and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department for assistance at the scene.
The substance in the envelope was tested and determined to be "non-hazardous." authorities planned to turn over the envelope and its contents to the fbi and usps for further investigation.
Meanwhile in Iowa, a similar incident resulted in the evacuation of the Lucas State Office building in Des Moines.
State Patrol were called to Secretary of State Paul Pate's office at about 11:00am Central Tuesday after a "suspicious parcel" was delivered there, according to an update from the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
Des Moines Fire Department's hazmat team was called to the scene to test the parcel. It was determined the item did not pose a threat to the public, allowing offices and businesses to resume operations.
In Topeka, Kansas, a state office building also went on lockdown Monday afternoon after receiving two packages containing a suspicious powder.
A spokesman for the Topeka Fire Department (TFD) says the offices of both the secretary of state and the attorney general at the Memorial Building in Downtown Topeka received the packages just after two monday afternoon.
A state employee opened one of the boxes and at least half a dozen people were then exposed to the substance.
First responders evacuated the building while hazmat crews investigated the situation.
Officials say there was no danger to the public and the workers exposed to the substance are expected to be okay.
