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Two Glen Oaks students face charges in powder hoax
http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=25323
By MELISSA MOORE
Advocate staff writer
Two Glen Oaks Middle School students joked their way into serious trouble Tuesday by allegedly putting an envelope of powder on a teacher?s desk after school, a sheriff?s spokesman said.
Both were arrested Wednesday on terrorizing counts, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff?s Lt. Darrell O?Neal said.
In another anthrax scare incident, State Police booked a Jeanerette man with terrorizing after he allegedly hand-delivered a letter containing salt to a state social service worker in Lafayette.
In Baton Rouge, school system spokeswoman Meg Casper said the two boys have been disciplined, but could not discuss the specifics.
"They are not on campus. We?re still trying to determine what will be the final outcome," she said.
O?Neal said sheriff?s deputies and Baton Rouge Fire Department hazardous-materials officers were called to the school at 5300 Monarch Ave. around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Casper said it appears the envelope was placed on the teacher?s desk during a tutoring session just after school Tuesday, and the teacher opened it soon afterward. She said the teacher and principal did not think the powder was dangerous.
"The principal and the teacher had reason to believe that it was a practical joke done in very poor taste," she said.
O?Neal said the teacher, who was not identified, recognized the substance.
"She said it smelled of baby powder," O?Neal said.
Casper said the incident was reported Wednesday morning to the School Drug Task Force just to be certain there was no danger.
The task force of sheriff?s deputies and city police officers identified two 13-year-old eighth-graders, who admitted responsibility and identified the powder as baby powder, O?Neal said.
Both boys were placed at the Juvenile Detention Center Wednesday afternoon on counts of terrorizing, O?Neal said.
State Police said the Lafayette incident involved a man who had become upset with officials in the welfare office last week and allegedly made threats.
The man, identified as Charles Ray Alexander Sr., 64, of Jeanerette returned Wednesday morning, said Lt. Mike Edmonson.
"He hand-delivered a letter to the receptionist. She opened it and white stuff fell all over the desk," Edmonson said.
The woman became upset and called police as the man ran away. The building was evacuated, and hazardous material officials arrived.
State Police detectives, meanwhile, tracked the man down at a car repair shop after getting his name from welfare officials. The substance from the envelope was being tested Wednesday afternoon. The man told State Police it was just salt, Edmonson said.
Edmonson did not have details about why the man was upset with the welfare office.
Terrorizing carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
Law enforcement has been inundated with calls about suspicious substances since media outlets and the offices of Sen. Tom Daschle and New York Gov. George Pataki were victimized by anthrax mailings.
None of the local calls have turned out to be anything dangerous, officials have said.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Pat Englade said at a news conference Tuesday that his department got 10 anthrax scare calls in 30 minutes Monday.
In New Orleans, health officials announced that early tests showed no traces of anthrax exposure for four people taken to a hospital after finding white powder in a package they opened at a trophy shop. The box had been shipped from Boca Raton, Fla., where two tabloid workers have been diagnosed with anthrax. The New Orleans Fire Department tested the powder, found it to be organic and sent it for more tests, then cleaned the trophy shop with bleach and decontaminated the four employees.
All were given antibiotics and their noses swabbed out to check for anthrax. No anthrax germs had grown on the culture plates by Wednesday evening, and none was expected to, but lab workers would keep an eye on them until this afternoon just to be sure, said Jerry Romig, spokesman for New Orleans? charity hospital.
The shipper told WWL-TV that it uses corn starch in its packaging.
In Evangeline Parish, a worker at a telephone company phoned police Wednesday when she unrolled a roll of pennies that had a mysterious substance inside. A spokeswoman for Centurytel Telephone said five employees were at work in the Ville Platte office at the time.
The State Police Hazardous Materials Unit took a sample of the substance. Only one worker had any contact with the suspect penny roll, Moses said. The front area of the office will be closed until further notice, Moses said.
http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=25323
By MELISSA MOORE
Advocate staff writer
Two Glen Oaks Middle School students joked their way into serious trouble Tuesday by allegedly putting an envelope of powder on a teacher?s desk after school, a sheriff?s spokesman said.
Both were arrested Wednesday on terrorizing counts, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff?s Lt. Darrell O?Neal said.
In another anthrax scare incident, State Police booked a Jeanerette man with terrorizing after he allegedly hand-delivered a letter containing salt to a state social service worker in Lafayette.
In Baton Rouge, school system spokeswoman Meg Casper said the two boys have been disciplined, but could not discuss the specifics.
"They are not on campus. We?re still trying to determine what will be the final outcome," she said.
O?Neal said sheriff?s deputies and Baton Rouge Fire Department hazardous-materials officers were called to the school at 5300 Monarch Ave. around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Casper said it appears the envelope was placed on the teacher?s desk during a tutoring session just after school Tuesday, and the teacher opened it soon afterward. She said the teacher and principal did not think the powder was dangerous.
"The principal and the teacher had reason to believe that it was a practical joke done in very poor taste," she said.
O?Neal said the teacher, who was not identified, recognized the substance.
"She said it smelled of baby powder," O?Neal said.
Casper said the incident was reported Wednesday morning to the School Drug Task Force just to be certain there was no danger.
The task force of sheriff?s deputies and city police officers identified two 13-year-old eighth-graders, who admitted responsibility and identified the powder as baby powder, O?Neal said.
Both boys were placed at the Juvenile Detention Center Wednesday afternoon on counts of terrorizing, O?Neal said.
State Police said the Lafayette incident involved a man who had become upset with officials in the welfare office last week and allegedly made threats.
The man, identified as Charles Ray Alexander Sr., 64, of Jeanerette returned Wednesday morning, said Lt. Mike Edmonson.
"He hand-delivered a letter to the receptionist. She opened it and white stuff fell all over the desk," Edmonson said.
The woman became upset and called police as the man ran away. The building was evacuated, and hazardous material officials arrived.
State Police detectives, meanwhile, tracked the man down at a car repair shop after getting his name from welfare officials. The substance from the envelope was being tested Wednesday afternoon. The man told State Police it was just salt, Edmonson said.
Edmonson did not have details about why the man was upset with the welfare office.
Terrorizing carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
Law enforcement has been inundated with calls about suspicious substances since media outlets and the offices of Sen. Tom Daschle and New York Gov. George Pataki were victimized by anthrax mailings.
None of the local calls have turned out to be anything dangerous, officials have said.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Pat Englade said at a news conference Tuesday that his department got 10 anthrax scare calls in 30 minutes Monday.
In New Orleans, health officials announced that early tests showed no traces of anthrax exposure for four people taken to a hospital after finding white powder in a package they opened at a trophy shop. The box had been shipped from Boca Raton, Fla., where two tabloid workers have been diagnosed with anthrax. The New Orleans Fire Department tested the powder, found it to be organic and sent it for more tests, then cleaned the trophy shop with bleach and decontaminated the four employees.
All were given antibiotics and their noses swabbed out to check for anthrax. No anthrax germs had grown on the culture plates by Wednesday evening, and none was expected to, but lab workers would keep an eye on them until this afternoon just to be sure, said Jerry Romig, spokesman for New Orleans? charity hospital.
The shipper told WWL-TV that it uses corn starch in its packaging.
In Evangeline Parish, a worker at a telephone company phoned police Wednesday when she unrolled a roll of pennies that had a mysterious substance inside. A spokeswoman for Centurytel Telephone said five employees were at work in the Ville Platte office at the time.
The State Police Hazardous Materials Unit took a sample of the substance. Only one worker had any contact with the suspect penny roll, Moses said. The front area of the office will be closed until further notice, Moses said.
