"Cancel the bomb squad. The congressman has received a glass elephant in the mail."

[Ian David]

Suspicious package at Hoekstra's downtown office prompts evacuation
Saturday, June 30, 2007
By Lisa Medendorp
[e-mail]

"Cancel the bomb squad. The congressman has received a glass elephant in the mail."

Those words from a Muskegon police detective to Central Dispatch brought an end to an hourlong evacuation of a downtown Muskegon building Friday after a suspicious package arrived at the office of U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R- Holland.

Actually, the package was addressed to Jonathan Seyferth, Hoekstra's Muskegon district representative. When Seyferth noticed biohazard symbols on the wrapping around a hard object inside the box, he called 911, according to police.

<snip>

Detective Capt. Mark Lewis said the small package had a return address and police were able to phone the sender, who was a man from Newaygo County.

The sender explained that he mailed a gift to Seyferth "because he was so helpful with a case that involved the congressman's office," Lewis said, declining to identify the man.

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