By Eric Longabardi
A suspicious envelope addressed to "Newport Police" was left in a mailbox at the Newport Dunes waterfront resort yesterday. The package contained a note and a white powder according to sources familiar with the investigation of the incident. The substance was later determined to be "harmless" by authorities.
Just before 10AM an employee of the resort alerted police and officers were on the scene in just about six minutes according Lt. John Lewis of the Newport Beach Police Department.
Newport Beach Police, The Orange County Sheriff's Bomb Squad and the Huntington Beach Fire Department Haz-Mat team responded to the incident. All were on scene for just over five hours trying to determine exactly what type of substance the envelope contained.
Lt. John Lewis of the Newport Beach Police Department said police are investigating the case and it remains an active investigation. The FBI and other federal law enforcement are also looking into the case. Lewis said his department would not release further details because the of the active investigation into the case.
'The Enterprise Report' was on the scene as a Huntington Beach Fire Department Haz-Mat team dressed in full protective gear tested and analyzed the contents of the envelope. A large area of the resort's parking lot was closed off by authorities as they sought to determine if the white powder contained in the envelope was dangerous. The parking lot of the waterfront resort was later reopened to the public.
