'Schrammie' forces evacuation of corrections dept.
TUMWATER, Wash. -- More than 300 people were evacuated from the state Department of Corrections here Friday morning after a box containing a "Schrammie" bobblehead aroused suspicion in the mail room.
The offices were evacuated at about 9 a.m. and state troopers responded.
State Patrol spokesman Robert Calkins said the blue box contained a "Schrammie" statue from KOMO's Ken Schram.
Schram bestowed the award on Harold Clarke, head of the Department of Corrections, on March 21.
The package containing the statue was not mailed until early this week.
"We've been sending out these Schrammies for over a year now and this is the first time we've had a reaction like this," said Jimm Brown, Community Relations director for KOMO-TV. "We're sorry it was interpreted that way."
Calkins said the mail clerk was suspicious of the package because the outside of the package was stained and he could not find a return address.
A KOMO intern sent the Schrammie out in the manufacturer's box and apparently forgot to include a return address label.
Troopers used a portable X-ray machine to look inside the box and realized what it was, Calkins said.
The offices were evacuated at about 9 a.m. and state troopers responded.
State Patrol spokesman Robert Calkins said the blue box contained a "Schrammie" statue from KOMO's Ken Schram.
Schram bestowed the award on Harold Clarke, head of the Department of Corrections, on March 21.
The package containing the statue was not mailed until early this week.
"We've been sending out these Schrammies for over a year now and this is the first time we've had a reaction like this," said Jimm Brown, Community Relations director for KOMO-TV. "We're sorry it was interpreted that way."
Calkins said the mail clerk was suspicious of the package because the outside of the package was stained and he could not find a return address.
A KOMO intern sent the Schrammie out in the manufacturer's box and apparently forgot to include a return address label.
Troopers used a portable X-ray machine to look inside the box and realized what it was, Calkins said.