A suspicious package containing a white powder and addressed to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office was intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service on Oct. 14, prompting an FBI investigation.
LaRose said in a news release Oct. 14 that his office is working with state and federal law enforcement agencies after officials confirmed his office was the intended recipient of a suspicious package containing a white powder. The package never reached the office because it was intercepted by U.S. Postal Service investigators, he said.
LaRose also noted that the U.S. Postal Service is investigating similar suspicious mailings sent to election officials in other states. The FBI is investigating the matter in Ohio, and the Secretary of State informed
county boards of election "to be vigilant in the days ahead," LaRose said.
"Election officials should never have to fear for their personal safety while performing their duties, and there is no place in a peaceful democracy for violence, threats or acts of intimidation," LaRose said. "We have a duty to the citizens of Ohio to deliver secure and accessible elections, and these kinds of cowardly threats will not deter us from that mission."
Voters can have "absolute confidence" that elections will be safe and secure, LaRose said.
LaRose, a Republican, is running for Ohio Auditor in the November elections and will be going up against Democrat and Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell. LaRose, 47, is on his second, four-year term as secretary of state, and term limits bar him from running again.
He ran for U.S. Senate in the GOP primary in 2024, but lost to Bernie Moreno.
The incident involving LaRose's office comes just a few weeks before Ohio's Nov. 3 general election.
In April, a New Albany man pleaded guilty in federal court to 31 charges, including sending threats by mail and in interstate commerce to state and federal public officials, providing false information, hoaxes, and cyberstalking. LaRose was among those targeted.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: FBI investigating suspicious white powder sent to Frank LaRose's office
