Suspicious packages prompt evacuations of Washington County Courthouse, office buildings
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Washington firefighters exit the Washington County Courthouse around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, after completing part of an investigation of the building.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Washington County Courthouse employees and visitors wait outside after at least six suspicious packages were delivered Thursday morning, prompting the evacuation of three county buildings.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
After being evacuated late Thursday morning, Crossroads personnel return to the building to collect their belongings before heading home for the rest of the day.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
County employees await further news outside the Crossroads building, located near the Washington County Courthouse, after being evacuated Thursday morning.
Katherine Mansfield/ Observer-Reporter
First responders were called to the Washington County Courthouse on Feb. 9 after multiple suspicious packages were delivered to the county offices. The campus was evacuated and closed for the remainder of the day.
A suspicious substance found inside several packages mailed to the Washington County Courthouse and a neighboring office building prompted the evacuation and eventual closure of the entire campus Thursday.
The courthouse and two neighboring county office buildings in Washington were evacuated shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday after the packages were delivered and discovered to be containing unknown substances and other unusual contents.
County public safety officials said at least six packages were delivered to the courthouse and Crossroads building, and three of them were opened. One person in the courthouse was taken by ambulance to an area hospital for precautionary reasons, county officials said.
A third county building, Courthouse Square, was evacuated as a precaution.
Washington County Public Safety Director Gerry Coleman said they performed preliminary tests on the unknown substances, which do not appear to be toxic.
“Initial public safety tests did not reveal a dangerous substance, but there will be further testing by other authorities,” Coleman said.
Recorder of Deeds Carrie Perrell said her office received one of the suspicious packages, which was filled with bubble wrap and had paperwork written in what appeared to be a foreign language with strange markings. She said the office worker who opened the package is feeling fine, although Perrell said her staff washed their hands and cleaned their phones after it was opened.
“Right away, she realized it was not something we would normally receive,” Perrell said.
Shortly after one of the packages was opened, a message over the intercom in the Crossroads building warned employees not to open any suspicious envelopes or packages after two had been opened in the courthouse. About five minutes later, employees said, they were told to evacuate all three buildings.
Washington County Sheriff’s Department, the Washington County Hazardous Materials Response Team, Washington Fire Department, and Washington Ambulance & Chair responded to the scene.
Washington County Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan said during a press conference that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service have been called in to assist in the investigation.
The packages were addressed to several different offices and were delivered to multiple judges’ chambers and at least one county elected official.
Vaughan said the packages included a return address. Authorities are working to identify the sender.
The staff at the office buildings were briefly permitted to return shortly after noon Thursday to retrieve their belongings before the campus was closed for the day.
Normal county operations were expected to resume this morning, officials said.