ROSWELL, Ga. — Authorities were called to the neighborhood where Karen Handel lives in Roswell after suspicious envelopes were found in mailboxes Thursday afternoon.
Police say Roxburg Drive off Old Alabama Road was shut down for several hours while crews investigated.
At least five homes in the neighborhood received an envelope with a "white powdery substance" in it.
The FBI was called in to take the lead on the investigation.
Two large trucks with government plates arrived shortly before 6:30 p.m. to help aid in the investigation.
One woman opened the envelope, found a white powdery substance inside and called police Thursday afternoon. Neighbors said the envelope also contained a threatening letter.
"It's been a rather harrowing experience to hear that this even happened," resident Dave Quinn said.
“We take all these threats seriously. We’ve been having a lot of issues with political signs over the past months. This has just been a situation over the campaign on both sides. We do not know the nature of the substance right now," said Lisa Holland with the Roswell Police Department.
Handel said a statement on her Facebook page that she received one of those envelopes and is thankful for the support she has received during the investigation:
No illnesses have been reported from the envelopes.
Holland said the postal inspector has been notified because of concern for the mail carrier who delivered the mail.
Police asked neighbors to call 911 if they find anything in their mail without a return address.
Handel is the Republican candidate running for Georgia's 6th Congressional District against Democrat Jon Ossoff.
The Ossoff campaign told Channel 2 Action News that campaign staff and the Ossoff family have also received multiple threats of violence during this election. Today, they hired a security detail.
6TH DISTRICT RACE
The 6th District Congressional Race has been a hotly contested race that has received national attention.
Handel and Ossoff are running to replace the seat left vacant by Tom Price when he was named Health and Human Services Secretary.
There are currently three seats in Congress that have been left vacant from appointments made by the Trump administration.
The seats are not enough to sway the majority of the House, but many looking at the race for the 6th District as a referendum on the Trump administration.
The Ossoff campaign told Channel 2 Action News that campaign staff and the Ossoff family have also received multiple threats of violence during this election. Today, they hired a security detail.
Last week, the man who opened fire on a GOP baseball game in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, posted about Handel on his Facebook page about the comment she made during WSB-TV's 6th District Debate about a livable wage.
"It's really disturbing for people to be going about their day to serve the people of this country and to have what is seemingly raw politics drive someone to such an act," Handel said at the time.
The election for the 6th District is Tuesday.