Powder patterns pose parking problems

TIPPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - The Tippecanoe County Parking Garage was temporarily locked down as emergency officials investigated white powder found in the structure on Monday afternoon.

Sources in the County Office Building said small piles of a white powder were found in the garage, including both stairwells.

Tippecanoe County Commissioner Tom Murtaugh said investigators determined the white powder was “90% starch.”

Murtaugh said the starch had been distributed “in bizarre shapes, like x’s and arrows.”

Police and Hazardous Materials responders were called to the garage shortly before 3:00 p.m. Monday. The garage was closed for about an hour and a half and was reopened at 4:30 p.m. During the lockdown, no one was permitted to enter the garage and county employees were not permitted to remove their vehicles.