Gwin Apartments evacuated after suspicious material discovered

<span>CHESTER -- </span><span>The Louis W. Gwin Apartment Complex, locally known as the Chester highrise, were evacuated for several hours Thursday after law enforcement discovered potentially suspicious material.</span>

<span>The material was later determined to be part of a dismantled water filtration system, including non-hazardous carbon powder, according to a news release by the Randolph County Emergency Management Agency.</span>

<span>Three Chester police officers responded to the building at 9:10 a.m. on the report of a possible domestic situation in an apartment on the third floor, which was called in by another resident in the building.</span>

<span>Police then discovered it was a medical issue and contacted paramedics with MedStar Ambulance. In assisting MedStar, police saw suspicious materials that could be used to build an explosive device and called in other agencies.</span>

<span>"When the police went up (to the apartment) with the paramedics, they saw something they felt might have been hazardous material," said Larry Willis, public information officer with the Randolph County EMA. "And then they put the plan in action.</span>

<span>"They got ahold of the proper authorities out of Springfield - the bomb squad from the Secretary of State's Office in Springfield, they went into the apartment, did their investigation and determined it was not hazardous material."</span>

<span>Willis said there were 38 residents in the building, 37 of which were evacuated. The 38th was the resident of the apartment being investigated.</span>

<span>That resident was transported to Memorial Hospital in Chester and later transferred to a St. Louis hospital due to existing medical problems. There will be no charges filed against him in connection to the incident, thus his name is being withheld by authorities.</span>

<span>"Most of (the residents), not all, went to the Chester Senior Center, where they got a free meal," Willis said. "There were contingency plans being made to get them hotel rooms if they needed to have hotel rooms, with the Red Cross picking up the tab for that and that's not necessary now."</span>

<span>In the news release, it was said the Chester Police Department is still investigating the incident, which could lead to unrelated charges.</span>

<span>Responding agencies included the Chester Fire Department, Chester Police Department, Randolph County Sheriff's Office, Randolph County EMA, Illinois Secretary of State Police Bomb Squad, Illinois State Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.</span>

<span>Parts of George Street were blocked off on both sides of Opdyke Street/Route 3 to traffic while the investigation was taking place.</span>

After the material was determined not to be dangerous, residents of the complex were allowed to return to their apartments. The Gwin Apartment Complex is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.