What Was In Package Left At F.E. Warren That Evacuated Capitol Remains A Mystery

Cheyenne residents will likely never know what was in the mysterious package left at Gate 1 of F.E. Warren Air Force Base last month that evacuated part of the base, the surrounding neighborhood, and the state Capitol building. An initial evacuation notice went out the morning of April 16 when the package was discovered, initially calling for anyone within a mile east of the base to leave immediately. The perimeter was later reduced to 1,850 feet, but not before Gov. Mark Gordon, two of Wyoming’s other top five elected officials, and the rest of the Capitol had been evacuated.

In response to a Cowboy State Daily follow-up request, the Air Force’s 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs office provided few details. “It was determined that the package did not pose an active threat to the installation or surrounding community, and no further information with the specific details regarding the package have been released,” the statement said. Asked whether the package represented a viable threat, contained explosives, or if there were leads or suspects, the Air Force added, “There is no active investigation at this time.”

David Pope was one of those evacuated from the Capitol, where he was attending a meeting of the Wyoming Stable Token Commission. His first thought was for his granddaughter, who attends Pioneer Peak Elementary School near F.E. Warren and was placed on lockdown. “When I prioritize my life and who and what I’m concerned with, at the top of that list are my wife, my son and my grandchildren,” he said. “I want to know and have confidence that when my granddaughter goes to school that close to a military installation, that she’s safe.”

Pope said he does not expect the base to jeopardize national security, but he would like some information to know his family is safe. “I’d like to know whether that was a threat or could be a threat in the future,” he said. “That is important to me. That said, I would never want to expose any national security issues in any way.” He noted that the threat progression seemed to go from serious to reduced to “all of a sudden it wasn’t an issue,” and he wondered about the decision-making process.

Ken Eppich, who lives just a couple of houses from the base, was on his morning walk when the package was found. When he tried to walk home, the road was blocked. “I went for a walk about 10 minutes to 9 around the park, then came back down this way and seen all the police cars,” he said at the time. A deputy told him that “somebody left something at the visitor center; they found it, then they sent the robot in. Then they opened the lid to the robot and looked inside. That’s when they moved (the perimeter) back out here.”

Pope also wants to know if a suspect has been identified or charged. “Yeah, I’d kind of like to know,” he said. For now, the contents of the package—and the full story behind the evacuation—remain a mystery.