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Crime & Safety

Narcotic Found in Jail Mail; Employee Hospitalized

A sheriff's office spokeswoman said the community is not believed to be in danger.

UPDATE (Friday 9:49 a.m.)—One unidentified female Harford County Detention Center employee was hospitalized Thursday after coming in contact with an "unknown powder substance," likely drugs, while sorting mail.

"It’s a contained situation. ... The community and the detention center population are not believed to be at risk,"  spokeswoman Monica Worrell said. "When one of our techs who was sorting the mail came across [the substance], it gave her a feeling of disorientation."

The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. and the mail area of the jail was quarantined, according to Worrell.

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"Symptoms [the victim] was exhibiting were consistent with a narcotic exposure," she said.

The woman told her supervisor she felt "light-headed and had a metallic taste in her mouth," Worrell said. The employee was decontaminated and transported to .

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"[The substance] is not a biological material," Worrell said. "[The county HazMat team] made entry into the mail area and they’re about to clear."

The mail was addressed to an inmate. A second letter was found that was also "believed to be narcotic in nature," a release from the sheriff's office stated.

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