CANDIDACY LEADS TO DEATH THREAT.Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer The U.S. Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processes and delivers mail to individuals and businesses within the United States. The service seeks to improve its performance through the development of efficient mail-handling systems and operates its own planning and engineering programs. is investigating the source of a letter containing yellow powder and a death threat made against a veteran prosecutor and candidate for Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County district attorney, authorities said Wednesday. Tom Higgins Thomas Higgins (born July 13, 1954 in Colonia, New Jersey) is an American-born Canadian and American football player and coach. He played linebacker at North Carolina State University and for one season (1979) with the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. , head deputy in the Workers' Compensation workers' compensation, payment by employers for some part of the cost of injuries, or in some cases of occupational diseases, received by employees in the course of their work. Fraud Bureau, said he went to pick up his campaign mail from a post office box in La Verne on Sunday and opened a letter with an out-of-state return address. ``As I was walking out of the post office expecting to see a check, I saw nine or 10 typed lines on a piece of paper saying, 'Drop out of the DA's race against (Steve) Cooley or you're a dead man,''' Higgins said. ``It said there is a consortium backing Cooley, something about money and 'We have you in our cross hairs and we're going to put a bullet in your head if you don't drop out.''' On his drive home, Higgins picked up the letter to read it again and noticed yellow powder falling on his arm and on the seat. A field test determined that the powdery pow·der·y adj. 1. Composed of or similar to powder. 2. Dusted or covered with or as if with powder. 3. Easily made into powder; friable. Adj. 1. substance was not anthrax anthrax (ăn`thrăks), acute infectious disease of animals that can be secondarily transmitted to humans. It is caused by a bacterium (Bacillus anthracis , but lab tests are pending, said Higgins, adding that he is sure incumbent Steve Cooley is not involved. District Attorney's Office spokesman Joe Scott said his office and federal postal inspectors were conducting separate investigations. Postal inspectors did not return phone calls. Cooley announced in October that he planned to run for re-election in the March 2 primary. Higgins filed papers Tuesday. Challengers have until Friday to file papers for the nonpartisan office. Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985 troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com |
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