Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeWhite substance in Curtiss Hall found to be harmless
Independent investigation suggests substance was a false alarm
January 22, 2007 —
Officials have determined that a white powdery substance found on the second floor of Curtiss Hall in late November was a glucose-based substance - most likely the fiber supplement Metamucil or a powdered sports drink.
Over break, a member of the Saginaw Township Fire Department conducted an independent study on the substance found in Curtiss 204 after the FBI turned it over having determined they would not conduct further tests.
The substance would have had to meet a certain set of criteria for the FBI to pursue the investigation further, but since there had been no threat issued and there were no reports of sickness, additional testing was not performed.
"[The room] had not been used in over a week and no suspicious groups or people had been reported," explained University Police Chief Ron Trepkowski. "There were no tips left and no threatening notes had been found that would have alerted police that this incident was intentional."
The incident created quite a stir last fall when a custodian cleaning the room found it near a window and alerted University police.
Though the substance seemed non-threatening, police still took necessary precaution by locking the room, isolating the area, and contacting the FBI.
Part of the reason police contacted the FBI was because the substance was found in an unusual location. If the substance had been accidentally left behind, the most likely locations would have been to find it on a table or the floor. But since police thought the substance was found in an unusual location near the window, they felt an investigation was warranted.
Despite the fact the substance was found to be harmless, Trepkowski believes the situation was handled in the best way possible.
"Fifteen years ago, the custodian would have just thrown it away," he said. "However, we live in a different world now and we have to be much more cautious."
The FBI responded to another "powder scare" at the Midland Law Enforcement Center Friday night, when a man brought in a letter postmarked in Korean and addressed to his son, who is currently serving in Iraq. However, in this case the FBI is performing an investigation on the substance.