Substance Sent To RivCo Sheriff's Office Prompts Evacuation

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A foreign substance contained in a package received Friday at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department headquarters in downtown Riverside led to concerns of a possible hazardous materials threat, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

The package was opened shortly before 10 a.m. in one of the offices at 4095 Lemon St., and the crystalline substance inside appeared suspicious, according to the sheriff's department.

Riverside Fire Department and county Department of Environmental Health personnel were summoned to investigate, while the building was evacuated and Lemon Street was closed to traffic.

A hazmat unit collected the package and set up a makeshift lab to run a series of biologic tests at the site. According to reports from the scene, the substance did not contain harmful matter.

By 12:30 p.m., the operation had concluded, and authorities were preparing to re-open the building.

An investigation was underway to determine who sent the package and why.

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone