A package containing a suspicious substance was sent to the district office of U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, marking the second suspicious mailing sent to a local politician's office within a week and the latest in a broader pattern of alleged intimidation targeting elected officials from both parties.
Beatty, a Democrat who represents Ohio's 3rd Congressional District, which includes Columbus, said in a brief Oct. 20 news release that her district office in Columbus received the package on Oct. 17. The package contained a "suspicious substance" and mirrors similar incidents involving other congressional offices across the country, Beatty said in the release.
“Let me be clear: I take this matter extremely seriously. Any attempt to threaten, intimidate,
or endanger me, my staff, or my colleagues is unacceptable and will not be taken lightly," Beatty said. "These kinds of political stunts and acts of intimidation have no place in our democracy."
Beatty also thanked the "swift response" of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI's Columbus field office.
The suspicious package at Beatty's district office occurred less than a week after the U.S. Postal Service intercepted a suspicious mailing that contained a white, powdery substance that was addressed for Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office. The Postal Service is investigating similar incidents across the country, LaRose said at the time.
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: 'Suspicious package' sent to Rep. Joyce Beatty's district office in Columbus
