Two inmates questioned on flaming envelopes

Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 | 11:10 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Two Ely State Prison inmates were interrogated Thursday after at least five governors as well as Nevada's prison chief received envelopes that, when opened, ignited matches.

The envelopes, which bore the prison postmark, were sent to governors of Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Washington and Utah and to Nevada Corrections Director Jackie Crawford. In Montana, the envelope prompted the evacuation of part of the state Capitol. There were no reports of injuries.

Glen Whorton, assistant director for the Nevada Corrections Department, said the two Ely State Prison inmates were questioned because one or the other was listed as the sender on the letter-size envelopes. He added the FBI is involved in the investigation.

But Whorton also said authorities aren't sure if the two inmates, who he declined to name, actually sent the envelopes from the maximum-security prison or their names and inmate numbers were put on the envelopes by someone else -- in or outside the prison.

The prison in Ely houses death row inmates and other serious offenders.

Federal and state investigators today were expected to continue trying to determine who mailed booby-trapped envelopes.

Whorton said the envelope addressed to Crawford was received Thursday afternoon. It ignited when it was opened by a secretary.

He said the result was "very small, but "it was a little surprising." No one was injured.

"It's troubling, obviously. It's not dangerous but it's certainly frightening to get something like this in the mail," he said.

Whorton said he has directed the inspector general in the prison to join the FBI in the investigation.

Greg Bortolin, press secretary for Gov. Kenny Guinn, said Guinn apparently had not received one of the letters. Guinn's incoming mail is screened by the Capitol Police.

Brad Valladon, chief of the Capitol Police, said Guinn's mail was processed as normal and nothing suspicious was detected.

The Nevada Department of Public Safety referred all questions to FBI Special Agent Todd Palmer in Las Vegas. Palmer said agents from Las Vegas have been sent to Ely to investigate the origin of the letters.

The envelopes ignited because of a cleverly attached match that was taped in the inside of the envelope in such a way that when someone opens the paper the match would be struck, officials said. Crawford was apparently the only Nevada official to receive one of the envelopes.

Whorton said letters leaving Nevada prisons aren't opened unless there's something unusual such as a bulky envelope or an inadequate return address. All incoming mail at Nevada prisons is opened by staffers, but not read by them, before being delivered to inmates.

"There was no bulk to it, no external indication that there was something odd there," he said. "It's the kind of thing that comes into the office every day."

He added that prison officials routinely get letters from inmates.

No injuries were reported in any of those cases either.