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Update: Woman accused of mailing deadly poison to White House was arrested in Hidalgo County last year

3 years 5 months 3 weeks ago Monday, September 21 2020 Sep 21, 2020 September 21, 2020 1:57 PM September 21, 2020 in News - Local

The woman accused of mailing a deadly poison to the White House, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office and the Mission Police Department was arrested in Hidalgo County last year on misdemeanor charges.

Pascale Ferrier, 53, of Quebec, Canada, was arrested by the Mission Police Department in March 2019, according to Hidalgo County jail booking records.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation identified Ferrier as the person accused of sending an envelope that contained ricin, a deadly poison, to the White House. The Associated Press, citing a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said investigators believe the same person also mailed letters to Rio Grande Valley law enforcement agencies.

Hidalgo County Sheriff J.E. "Eddie" Guerra said four envelopes that contained ricin were mailed to the Hidalgo County jail. One letter was addressed to Guerra; the other three letters were addressed to detention employees.

"At this time, due to an open and active federal investigation, I cannot make any further comments," Guerra said, adding that the Sheriff's Office would send out a news release.

Asked if Ferrier sent the letters, Guerra declined to comment.

Another letter that contained ricin was mailed to the Mission Police Department, said Inv. Art Flores, a spokesman for the department.

Ferrier was arrested by the Mission Police Department in March 2019, when she was charged with two counts of unlawfully carrying a weapon and one count of tampering with a governmental record.

The Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office filed a motion to dismiss the charges, which listed the reason as: "1st & only offense; defendant served 20 days."

After more than two months in jail, Ferrier was released on May 18, 2019, according to Sheriff's Office records. The New York Times reported that she was deported to Canada.

"Law enforcement officials said this weekend that the letters could have been sent from Canada, but that it was not clear when they were sent," according to the New York Times. "The mail was intercepted last week, before it reached its destination."

Check back for updates.

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