Town goes on alert after finding several suspicious envelopes
SEBRING (AP) – A hospital and town hall in central Florida are on lockdown after authorities recovered dozens of envelopes with a suspicious white powder in what the FBI believes is a hoax.
The incident began Thursday morning at the Florida Hospital Heartland Division in Sebring, where a woman found one of the envelopes on her car and opened it at home. About 75 other envelopes have been found since.
A spokeswoman with the FBI in Miami said they are investigating the incident as a hoax, and that initial tests on the substance have come back negative for anthrax. A hospital official said no one has shown symptoms of the disease.
The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office says they are waiting for test results on the substance and have identified “persons of interest” in the case.