CARLISLE, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. -- Two State Troopers and a Pennsylvania State Police employee returned to work today after a biohazard scare at the Carlisle State Police Station.
Yesterday, one of those troopers received a letter, After opening it, he immediately became ill. The other trooper and employee were in the room at the time.
State Police cannot show FOX43 the letter because it was sent to be investigated by the FBI. They say the letter was inside an envelope similar to one in which you would send a bill in or in which you'd receive a birthday card. It was addressed to a specific Trooper at the Carlisle station.
State Police say the letter didn’t seem out of the ordinary.
"On a daily basis, the state police stations receive a lot of correspondence, and that’s correspondence from the community, correspondence from courts, as well as other information," said Trooper Brent Miller, a public information officer for Troop H of the Pennsylvania State Police.
Troopers receive stacks of mail each day. Authorities say this letter, however, contained a substance. That substance sent those two troopers and the employee to Carlisle Regional Medical Center.
“They immediately became ill. They became lightheaded, elevated blood pressure, and couple other symptoms," said Trooper Miller.
The Carlisle station was immediately evacuated. Authorities cannot say what kind of substance was inside the envelope.
State Police, the FBI, and the United States Postal Service are investigating the incident.
"Right now, the contents of the envelope are in the process of being sent to the FBI lab to do their checks to determine what exact biohazard was in that envelope," explained Trooper Miller.
State Police say there's no danger to the public. Still one woman says she's bothered by it.
"It's ridiculous we have to be worried about it. I fear for my kids. I worry what the world is going to be like when they’re grown up," said Stephanie Olson of Cumberland County.
The Cumberland County District Attorney says felony charges could be filed against the person.
"As crazy as things are, if this is a joke, ‘I just want the person to get ill, nauseous, something like that’. Well, it's not funny, you’re looking at the lowest charge on the list would be the criminal use of communications facility, and that’s still a felony of a third degree, could get seven years in prison… So," said Skip Ebert, Cumberland County District Attorney.
Ebert says authorities are looking to see whether the letter could've come from a prison. Whoever is responsible will be charged in Cumberland County. The full investigation could take weeks.