Elyria man indicted for sending letter purporting to contain anthrax

A federal grand jury returned a federal indictment charging Drew D. Manns, 31, of Elyria, with using the United States Postal Service to make threats with a white powdery substance, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Manns sent Summit County Clerks and Prosecutor’s Office letters including a white powdery substance, and identified the substance as anthrax in the body of the accompanying letters, according to the indictment.

The Summit County Prosecutor’s Office conducted the investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marisa T. Darden.       

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial, in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.