A package containing a suspicious substance that was meant for U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s office in Toledo was intercepted at a local postal facility before it could be delivered, her office said Friday, Oct. 23.
Kaptur, a Democrat who represents Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, was advised this week that her northwest Ohio office was the intended recipient, according to a statement from her office. The office said the package was similar to others reported at congressional offices in Ohio and across the country.
Because earlier packages had made national news, mail for the office was already being held at a local postal facility as a precaution, and that is where the package was stopped, said Ben Kamens, Kaptur’s communications director.
Kamens thanked the U.S. Postal Service’s postal inspectors for their swift response and for protecting the letter carrier, staff and constituents. He said the office will continue to work with the Postal Inspector and both local and federal authorities as the investigation into this package and others across the country continues.
“Acts of terror, harm, and intimidation have no place in our democracy and cannot be lightly dismissed,” Kamens said in the statement released by the congresswoman’s office.
Kaptur’s office has not said what the substance was, and no one has been publicly identified or charged in connection with the package. The office said both its Washington and northwest Ohio offices remain open and fully operating.
Constituents can continue to reach the office online at Kaptur.House.Gov or by phone at 419-259-7500, the statement said. The interception follows similar suspicious mailings reported earlier this month to election and congressional offices, which federal authorities are also investigating.