The Nye County government complex was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a letter was opened with a white powdered substance and a note threatening an elected official.
Around 3 p.m., the letter was opened at the Nye County Clerk's Office on Radar Road in Tonopah, about 3 hours north of Las Vegas.
Law enforcement and emergency services were contacted and responded. The potentially exposed personnel were segregated and the entire Tonopah government complex was evacuated as a precautionary measure.
At 6:20 p.m. the results of the hazmat testing was provided to the unified incident command consisting of the Nye County Sheriff's Office and Nye County Emergency Management Services. The results from a hazardous materials analyzer identified the material as 100 percent cornstarch.
The hazardous materials incident was terminated at 6:30 p.m. after all responding organizations were notified.
Nye County officials are calling it a domestic terrorism event and the criminal investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information relating to this event please contact Detective James Brainard at 775-513-2208 or Detective Robert Perry at 775-209-4258 or via e-mail at ncso_detectives@co.nye.nv.us.
