Powder in envelope mailed to Yuba County elections office tests negative for fentanyl
YUBA COUNTY - After a preliminary test determined a powder in an envelope mailed to the Yuba County elections office last week was fentanyl, further testing determined the powder was not a controlled substance.
On Jan. 16, a staff member at the county elections office opened an ordinary-looking piece of mail addressed to the agency and found that it contained a powdery substance, according to a statement the following day from Yuba County.
The staff member who was exposed to the drug took precautionary measures, did not touch the substance, and was not injured, the county says. The Yuba County Sheriff's Office tested the substance and found, preliminarily, that it was fentanyl.
The Department of Justice conducted further testing, determining it was not a controlled substance.
Other state, local and federal agencies are assisting the sheriff's office with the investigation into the origin of the envelope.
As a result of the incident, the elections office was closed while precautionary decontamination procedures took place. They reopened around noon.
"We are grateful that no one was harmed in this incident and we will continue to exercise caution as we perform the important work of conducting elections," said Yuba County Elections Clerk-Recorder Donna Hillegass.
Due to the increasing number of similar incidents across the country, office staff had recently undergone training to identify and report suspicious mail and how to handle potentially dangerous substances, the county says. The office has also been stocked with Narcan.
