A man was in federal custody Friday on charges of sending threatening packages to President Bush, including one last month marked “Brace For Impact” that shut down the White House mailroom, authorities said.
Steven Baldwin, 39, is accused of mailing two packages to Bush at the White House on July 20 — one bearing the words “Biological Weapons Enclosed” and the other labeled “Letter Bomb!” with a rambling five-page letter bearing Baldwin’s signature, the Secret Service said in court documents.
On Dec. 14, according to the documents, Baldwin allegedly mailed a third package, this one labeled “Brace For Impact, I’ve Read Your Fortune & The Signs Are Not In Your Favor.”
The White House mailroom was shut down for about two hours until authorities determined it contained a cellular telephone wrapped in wires, according to the court papers.
Warned to stop
Baldwin, of the Seattle suburb of Renton, appeared before a U.S. magistrate Thursday on charges of making a false threat using biological weapons, a false threat using explosive materials and a threat against the president.
A detention hearing was scheduled for Wednesday. Baldwin could face as much as 20 years in prison if convicted.
Secret Service agent Erik Rasmussen wrote in an affidavit that Baldwin had been warned before the third package to stop sending threatening mail to the president.