Chesterfield Magistrate’s Office receives letter with powdery substance

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) - Two people were taken to the hospital Monday after a magistrate opened a letter that contained a powdery substance. The incident disrupted operations at the Magistrate’s Office and the jail.

“The magistrate immediately started having a reaction to the exposure,” the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office said. “Sheriff deputies in the jail’s booking area, which is adjacent to the magistrate’s office, responded to assist. One of the responding deputies also began to have similar symptoms when he arrived.”

Both people were taken to Chippenham Hospital, where they were treated and released.

A HAZMAT team handled the collection of the powdery substance and decontamination of the area.

“The incident did result in partial disruption to operations at the jail, which have since been restored and the magistrate’s office remains on limited operations at this time,” the sheriff’s office said Monday evening.

The Virginia Department of Forensic Science is analyzing the substance.

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