FAYETTEVILLE — A letter sent by a state prison inmate prompted evacuation of one floor of the John Paul Hammerschmidt Federal Building on Thursday afternoon.
“An envelope was sent to the federal building and it was opened and it had white powder in it,” said U.S. Marshal Dick O’Connell.
O’Connell said fifth-floor office personnel immediately notified authorities, who triggered standard emergency procedures. Those include calling the local hazardous materials response team.
“They looked at the substance, tested it and determined it was a nontoxic substance,” O’Connell said. “So everyone was brought back into the building and we’re all back to work.”
The evacuation started about 2:15 p.m. and lasted about an hour.
O’Connell confirmed the letter was sent from an inmate at an Arkansas prison unit, but he declined to identify the prisoner.
Assistant Fayetteville Fire Chief Bud Thompson said the substance was probably soap.
“We had a little misunderstanding about mail that came into the mailroom of the federal building,” Thompson said. “We got everything rolling for nothing.”
Federal officials were able to resolve the situation quickly by checking the source of the letter, the history of the sender and where he was, Thompson said.
Cpl. Rick Crisman, Fayetteville police information officer, said it was determined the prisoner did not have access to harmful chemicals.
“He has done this in the past. I don't know if it was this same building, but he’s done this before,” Crisman said, relating what he was told by the U.S. Marshals Service. “In the past, he used laundry detergent. We approach it as if it were a dangerous chemical until we know otherwise.”
Crisman said he did not know the prisoner’s name. Dina Tyler, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Correction, declined to reveal the prisoner’s identity.
Tim Snively, a Fayetteville attorney, was on the fifth floor for an arraignment when the substance was discovered.
“There weren’t a lot of people on the fifth floor. We all came down in one elevator,” Snively said.
The Fayetteville Fire Department had three engines on the scene, a hazardous materials trailer and several other vehicles. Police also responded to block traffic from Mountain Street, which runs immediately in front of the federal building. A regional hazardous materials team was dispatched but the situation was resolved before they arrived.