Officials: FBI takes over testing of white powder found at Maiden church

MAIDEN, N.C. — Catawba County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a possible hazmat situation at the church of a controversial pastor Thursday morning.

Police were called to Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden after a white powder fell out of a letter that was opened, deputies said.

Deputies put tape around the church and hazmat crews along with the FBI were called in to investigate.  Hazmat crews said there was not enough of the powder to do testing, so they have passed it on to the FBI.

"You’re not only causing the preacher problems, but you're causing the community problems.   You got everybody nervous who lives out here, and then you look at all the cost to taxpayers,” said Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid.

Pastor Charles Worley told church members that gays should be kept inside an electric fence during a Mother’s Day sermon that has caused national outrage.

Firefighters said the person who opened the mail has been checked out and appears to be OK.   That person was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Worley did make an appearance at the church briefly, but would not talk about the incident.

Hundreds of protestors gathered last month to demonstrate against the pastor’s comments.

Police said someone tried to burn down the church the same weekend as the protest was held.  Deputies said a small fire was set under the air conditioning unit that melted the insulation on the wires leading to the unit.

The same weekend, Worley told a CNN reporter that he didn't take anything he said back.   Cameras caught one of the pastor's security guards with a gun in his waistband as they headed into a church service the same day.

On Tuesday, the LGBT Community Center in Charlotte asked for donations in the pastor’s name. Then, the group is sending postcards to let him know.

"This donation in your name will go toward advancing our goal of promoting diversity, acceptance," read O'Neale Atkinson from the postcard. Atkinson works for the LGBT Community Center in Charlotte.

The church reopened Friday night after lab tests showed there were no bio-terrorism agents found in the powder.

Officials have not said what the powder was or who sent it to the church.

WSOC