N.Y. Corrections Officer Critical After Handling Suspicious Papers

ROME, NY―A Central New York corrections officer is in critical condition after being exposed to an unknown substance saturated on papers that were brought into prison.

Around noon Sunday, State Police were called to the Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome for a report that a visitor brought in “suspicious materials,” troopers said in a news release Monday.

Shondrea C. Taylor, 53, brought an envelope containing multiple pieces of paper believed to be saturated with an unknown substance, troopers said.

Several correctional officers who handled the papers experienced symptoms consistent with exposure to a hazardous substance, troopers said.

Three officers were taken to the hospital. One officer remains hospitalized in critical condition Monday, troopers said.

Two National Guard members were also evaluated and cleared after reporting possible exposure, troopers said.

An initial assessment of the substance was inconclusive, troopers said. The papers will undergo further testing to identify the substance, they said.

An unidentified individual instructed Taylor to enter the prison under the pretense of visiting an inmate, troopers said. Taylor was directed to deliver the envelope containing the saturated pages, they said.

Taylor has been charged with two counts of second-degree promoting prison contraband, a misdemeanor.

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