Governor: Suspicious substance in Secretary of State's mail is 'absolutely unacceptable'

Suspicious mail received Tuesday by the office of Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab appears to be "yet another threat aimed at our state's public servants," Gov. Laura Kelly said that evening.

"This political intimidation is absolutely unacceptable," she said. "No Kansan should ever feel unsafe because of their politics."

Schwab's office received a letter Tuesday containing a "suspicious substance," he told the Associated Press.

“With recent events, we take such things as a suspicious substance very serious,” Schwab said in a text to the AP. “Our team is trained if they see something, say something.”

Building was evacuated

Authorities responded by evacuating Memorial Hall, 120 S.W. 10th Ave., where Schwab's office is located, a Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman said.

The decision to evacuate was made "out of an abundance of caution," said Melissa Underwood, public information officer for the KBI.

The building remained closed for the rest of the day.

The KBI was teaming up to respond with the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal, Underwood said.

"This is the only incident in Kansas that we are aware of at this time," she said.

Similar incidents have happened here and elsewhere

Kelly praised law enforcement for acting swiftly to clear the building and make sure no one was harmed.

"Thank you to the KBI, KHP, and other law enforcement who are investigating this case and the letters sent this past summer,” she said.

In June, dozens of Republican officials in Kansas, Montana and Tennessee received threatening letters containing white powder, though tests did not detect toxins and no injuries were reported. Authorities have yet to announce arrests.

Schwab’s office serves as the state’s top elections authority, and Tuesday's incident occurred less than a week after election offices in at least five states received threatening mail. Some of that mail contained the potentially dangerous opioid fentanyl.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Suspicious mail brings about evacuation of Memorial Hall in Topeka