White Powder Sent To Stanford Law Professor Deemed Safe

PALO ALTO, CA — A powdery white substance received Wednesday by a Stanford University law professor — the attorney who is leading the effort to recall Judge Aaron Persky, who presided over the rape trial of Brock Turner — has been deemed safe, university police said. The substance which appeared on Valentine's Day was tested by Santa Clara County hazardous materials personnel and was determined to be "an inert powder that poses no health concern," Stanford University Public Safety officials said in a statement just after 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Stanford Law School Professor Michele Dauber released a statement saying she received a package in the mail Wednesday with a rape threat and an unknown white substance.

University police confirmed the substance was received by a Stanford Law faculty member.

Two rooms in the Neukom Building of the Law School were briefly shut down Wednesday as the substance was investigated by emergency responders, university police said.

"Although the Neukom Building was partially shut down, operations and activities continued at the Stanford Law School," police said.

Dauber said it was not the first time she has received a rape threat focused around her role in the recall campaign for the judge who drew controversy when he sentenced former Stanford swimmer Turner to six months in county jail in 2016 for the sexual assault of an unconscious woman.

"Judge Persky's campaign continues to use hate-filled language and continues to actively defend Brock Turner and attack Emily Doe and me personally," Dauber said in the statement. "The verbal attacks have continued to escalate."

The decision on whether to recall Persky will go in front of voters on June 5 after the campaign led by Dauber collected more than 94,000 signatures to qualify it for the ballot.

#BREAKING: #Stanford Law Professor Michele Dauber confirms she received death threat in an envelope containing white powder today. Dauber is leading the charge to recall Judge Aaron Persky (who presided over Brock Turner sexual assault case). @StanfordLaw
— Raj Mathai (@rajmathai) February" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/rajmathai/... 14, 2018

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Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo: Stanford law professor Michele Dauber speaks at a rally before activists delivered over one million signatures to the California Commission on Judicial Performance calling for the removal of Judge Aaron Persky from the bench Friday, June 10, 2016, in San Francisco. Dauber is leading the effort to recall Judge Persky. (Eric Risberg/Associated Press)