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--> --> Woman indicted in powder prank MONMOUTH (AP) - A Dallas woman suspected of mailing a piece of paper with the misspelled words "ANTRAX VIRUS" and a white, powdery substance as a practical joke has been indicted by a federal grand jury. Patricia Jones, 51, was charged Wednesday with mailing a threatening communication and mailing a nonmailable substance, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Portland. Police have said the envelope was sent Saturday to a Monmouth resident, whom police have declined to identify. A mail carrier reported seeing the powder falling out of the envelope and the Monmouth post office was shut down for the rest of the day while investigators searched the area. The postal worker who touched the powder was taken by ambulance to Salem Memorial Hospital, where she was treated and released. The powder was determined to be harmless. If convicted, Jones could face up to six years in prison and $350,000 in fines. The indictment came a day after U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that the Department of Justice would prosecute anyone who issues anthrax threats "or any form of terrorist threat." Kent Robinson, an assistant U.S. attorney in Portland overseeing the federal terrorism investigation in Oregon, said hoaxes have real victims and costs. "Law enforcement and hazardous-materials personnel are being distracted from what they ought to be doing and innocent people are scared that they've been exposed," he said. "It's not funny." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing