"Suspicious Package" Update
Frederick police continue to investigate the origin of the suspicious package that sent two Frederick men to the hospital on May 2.
Sgt. Andrew Alcorn said Monday that police are working with partners in the FBI, U.S. postal inspectors and other law enforcement jurisdictions to uncover the trail of the package that was sent to the men at their home in the 400 block of Military Road in Frederick. [Photo, left, by Katherine Heerbrandt]
Police are actively investigating the origin of the package and who may have had contact with the it along its route, Sgt. Alcorn said.
Frederick County Fire and Rescue initially identified one substance as a common household chemical. Police sent the package to the FBI laboratory the day of the incident to test the substance that caused the men respiratory distress and a skin rash. The men were treated and released.
Although the laboratory tests have not yet yielded final results, Sgt. Alcorn said the FBI confirmed that the substance was “nonlethal.”
Frederick County's Hazardous Materials Response team closed down the Emergency Department for three hours, and police and rescue cordoned off the hospital entrances with crime tape. The FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspector and fire and rescue crews from Frederick and Germantown were on the scene, including a medical ambulance bus to transport people from the hospital if necessary.
