The Oregon State Penitentiary Friday received an envelope with a mysterious substance in it, just days after Coffee Creek Correctional Facility received a similar delivery. After the state prison reported receiving the envelope, at around 11 a.m., its mail room was secured and evacuated. As a precaution, one employee from the mail room was taken to a local hospital.
State police were onsite, and the Salem Fire Department eventually cleared the building as safe for employees to return to work.
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Oregon’s women’s prison, received an envelope Wednesday with an unknown “white powdery” substance in it, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. Similarly, its mail room was secured, and its administration building was evacuated.
Four Coffee Creek employees were decontaminated and transported to a local hospital with “minor symptoms,” according to a news release. The FBI was onsite to evaluate the powder for any hazardous substances. There have not been any updates on what the substance was.
The DOC said the Coffee Creek incident is still under criminal investigation. The department said it does not believe the two incidents are related, and it is working with law enforcement to determine next steps.
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