Police then launched a criminal investigation. Police, firefighters, and hazmat teams came to the bar after it was reported the letter, which was full of gay slurs, contained an unknown white powder.Īuthorities later determined the powder was Gold Bond powder and not toxic. Police charged Eric Reece Wiethorn, 49, of Ames, Iowa, with first-degree harassment after admitting to sending a letter on March 27 to the Blazing Saddle bar, which caused the establishment to close. A man from Iowa was arrested Thursday after admitting to sending a Des Moines gay bar a threatening letter he claimed to be filled with anthrax, the Des Moines Register reports.
