ST. CLOUD -- A scary start to the day for the Stearns County Courts Facility Tuesday morning.

Stearns County Chief Deputy Jon Lentz says a staff employee was opening a letter when she discovered a white powdery substance inside.

She quickly reported the incident and an investigation began. The suspicious letter and its contents were secured and turned over to investigators.

Deputies called the United States Postal Inspection Services to test the substance. Initial field tests showed the sampled did not contain biologic or toxic substances and was believed to be corn starch.

The letter was sent to the Minnesota Department of Health for more testing.

It will later be sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation as a potential violation regarding real and simulated weapons of mass destruction.

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