Post by Woody Williams on Jul 29, 2005 20:50:42 GMT -5
Suspicious substance spilled in the Kentucky Forensic Lab turns out to be deer urine
Officials: Lab evacuation no prank
05:28 PM EDT on Friday, July 29, 2005
The 150 or so employees inside the state lab building are back on the job Friday, but the day before, they were evacuated because of a substance that we now know you could find in any sporting goods store: animal urine, used by hunters to attract animals and mask their own scent.
“So we’re working on the assumption that we’re dealing with a nontoxic, foul-smelling urine-like product. We still have additional tests underway today, and we’ll try to identify exactly what this was,” says Kentucky Health Commissioner Dr. William Hacker.
How did an animal urine product get sprayed all over an office inside the state health laboratory, who did it and why?
“Well, let me say this,” says Governor Ernie Fletcher. “There’s no place for those sorts of pranks and we will do what’s appropriate [but] let‘s wait and find out what occurred first.”
“Kentucky State Police do not look at this as a prank or a joke in any way. It’s a criminal act that has caused the state workers to be displaced,” says Capt. Lisa Rudzinski of Kentucky State Police.
Only the state lab’s employees can enter the building. All visitors have to sign in and go through security. That narrows the list of suspects.
That suspect might also have to answer to Kentucky taxpayers. All the lab employees got paid to be evacuated and do no work Thursday. Six people incurred hospital bills and about 75 local and state emergency personnel responded to the scene, treating it as a HAZMAT situation.
“I hope we have the ability legally to find somebody to put this on and let them bear the financial burden,” says Steve Oglesby of Kentucky Emergency Management.
State police say they are confident they will make an arrest in this case.
Officials: Lab evacuation no prank
05:28 PM EDT on Friday, July 29, 2005
The 150 or so employees inside the state lab building are back on the job Friday, but the day before, they were evacuated because of a substance that we now know you could find in any sporting goods store: animal urine, used by hunters to attract animals and mask their own scent.
“So we’re working on the assumption that we’re dealing with a nontoxic, foul-smelling urine-like product. We still have additional tests underway today, and we’ll try to identify exactly what this was,” says Kentucky Health Commissioner Dr. William Hacker.
How did an animal urine product get sprayed all over an office inside the state health laboratory, who did it and why?
“Well, let me say this,” says Governor Ernie Fletcher. “There’s no place for those sorts of pranks and we will do what’s appropriate [but] let‘s wait and find out what occurred first.”
“Kentucky State Police do not look at this as a prank or a joke in any way. It’s a criminal act that has caused the state workers to be displaced,” says Capt. Lisa Rudzinski of Kentucky State Police.
Only the state lab’s employees can enter the building. All visitors have to sign in and go through security. That narrows the list of suspects.
That suspect might also have to answer to Kentucky taxpayers. All the lab employees got paid to be evacuated and do no work Thursday. Six people incurred hospital bills and about 75 local and state emergency personnel responded to the scene, treating it as a HAZMAT situation.
“I hope we have the ability legally to find somebody to put this on and let them bear the financial burden,” says Steve Oglesby of Kentucky Emergency Management.
State police say they are confident they will make an arrest in this case.
