One Sheriff hospitalized, several more on high alert after suspicious envelopes with white powder were discovered in mail.
UPDATE! July 28th, 5:48 PM PST. Sources are now saying that this was not related to the gun issue, but rather, it had to do with Oregon’s marijuana reform, and the targeted Sheriffs are ones who opposed its legalization. There is a suspect, but they are not being named and they have not been apprehended. The white powder tested negative, but some are wondering why one Sheriff had an adverse reaction when he opened the letter.
Glenn Palmer, Sheriff of Grant County and outspoken gun rights supporter, has been hospitalized after rash developed on his skin after opening an envelope filled with white powder. Several other pro gun Sheriffs received similar envelopes in the mail, but so far none of them others developed strange symptoms. Coincidence?
Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer was taken to the hospital a little after noon after opening an envelope addressed to him at the Canyon City sheriff’s office. The envelope contained a white substance and seconds later Palmer developed a physical reaction, including a rash on his arms, according to a county official at the scene.
Umatilla, Jackson, Sherman, Wasco and Baker [Counties] also reported suspicious envelopes arriving at their offices, but no other reactions have been reported.
Palmer and two other people were taken to Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day for treatment and/or observation, according to a report from the Oregon Emergency Response System.
In Umatilla County, Sheriff Terry Rowan said a civil deputy on routine duties retrieved a letter addressed for Rowan from the Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton. The legal-sized letter had similar markings as the one found in Grant County, so the mail remained sealed and in a civil deputy’s vehicle parked at the sheriff’s office. The letter showed up about the same time the Grant County letter made an appearance.
Sheriff Palmer was the most outspoken state Sheriff against the “universal background check” bill that ultimately passed the state legislature and is now law. He appeared on many radio talk shows stating that he would not enforce the bill. Several other Sheriffs across the state joined him in opposition to more gun control.
