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| Idaho Inmate Reportedly Sends Poison-Filled Letter To Governor |
| By KBCI |
| Published: 06/28/2004 |
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Two weeks ago Levi John Gereau, a 23 year old medium security inmate at the Idaho State Correctional Institution (ISCI), used the Idaho Department of Correction prison mail system to send Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne a letter containing ant poison. But the letter that arrived at the Governor's Office on Friday informed the person who opened it that they had just been exposed to a lethal chemical. It was not until Monday when state officials determined the "lethal chemical" was in fact ant poison. Mike Journee is the Governor's spokesman. "Whenever you receive correspondence of a threatening nature, with a substance in it that you are not sure is harmful or even lethal, you are obviously very concerned about the safety of your employees." But officials say Gereau not only threatened personnel in the Governor's office in his letter, he also allegedly threatened the President of the United States. As a result the Idaho State Police and the Secret Service paid him a prison visit on Friday. "He has been put on mail security watch and that is it for now because of where he is in the institution he is remaining there," says Teresa Jones, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Correction. Gereau is housed in Unit 14 at ISCI, the special needs unit because he has a disability. He was convicted of sexually abusing a child under 16 in Lincoln county and is serving a 10 to 15 year sentence. He violated the terms of a six month rider and began serving his full sentence in February. The Idaho Department of Correction has many protocols for handling inmates incoming mail to prevent contraband from entering the prison. But the department admits they have limited protocols to deal with their outgoing mail. "We do have some people who are on mail watch if they have sent threatening letters or something. In that instance we will have a little more security going out. But as a general rule we do not (have security for outgoing mail.)" says Jones. But as a result of Gereau's alleged action the Governor's office in conjunction with the Idaho Department of Correction says they will take steps to change those policies according to Journee. "To address the safety of our employees as well as protect any rights that the inmates may have in corresponding with the Governor and that kind of thing at the same time." Gereau could be charged under Idaho law or federal law or both. In Idaho a first offense for sending a threatening letter to an Idaho public official is considered a misdemeanor and carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Gereau could also face felony charges for threatening the president. That charge carries a maximum five years in prison and a $250,000. |
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