Authorities said Wednesday afternoon that a “powdery substance” was found in an envelope sent to the Arkansas governor’s office in the state Capitol, and that some people in the building were staying in place for their safety.
J.R. Davis, Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s spokesman, called the incident a false alarm. He said employees were given the “all clear” around 3:35 p.m.
State Capitol Police spokesman Chris Powell said that a person in the governor’s office opened the envelope from an out-of-state address around 2:40 p.m. and found the substance. Officials in hazardous materials suits were called to the scene.
Powell said shortly after 4 p.m. that testing determined the material was “not a harmful substance” and that everything was “back to normal” at the Capitol.
The Capitol building was not being evacuated, Powell said, although some personnel were asked to stay in place.
The police spokesman said that he did not know of anyone who was sick as a result of the substance.
Dan Noble, a spokesman with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman, said Gov. Asa Hutchinson was in the office at the time.
Arkansas State Police and the Little Rock Fire Department responded to the scene as part of emergency protocol, Davis said.