Two people originally arrested after five suspicious package cases in Saskatoon have been released from custody with no charges.
Saskatoon police said their investigation into events on Tuesday afternoon found that a man and woman had been hired by another woman to deliver the packages to five locations in the city.
Police said they were unaware as to the contents of the envelopes they delivered.
READ MORE: 3 in custody over suspicious package calls: Saskatoon police
Global News has learned that Alexa Emerson, who also goes by the name of Amanda Totchek, is facing five counts each of mischief, public mischief and uttering threats to cause bodily harm.
Emerson, 31, appeared Wednesday morning in Saskatoon provincial court on an unrelated matter.
“The accused voluntarily turned herself into police yesterday, we were in discussions with police with respect to allegations from October, she voluntarily turned herself into police on those charges yesterday morning and while she was obviously in police custody being processed for those particular charges, there’s an allegation that a bunch of stuff occurred downtown,” Brian Pfefferle, defence lawyer for Emerson, said.
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“The client is completely shocked at the allegations being made.”
No court date has been set on her new charges, however Pfefferle expects her to be formally charged Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.
“Certainly her view is that she’s innocent of the charges and that she’s confused by the fact that she’s being alleged to have been involved in a very serious incident and the fact that she is in custody right now on other charges with new charges pending tomorrow is obviously causing her a great deal of stress,” Pfefferle said.
“Certainly a very serious offence, but she’s denying any liability for it.”
Pfefferle thinks a past domestic situation might shine some context on why she’s in the situation that she’s in.
Police were originally called to a restaurant in the 400-block of 21st Street East at 12:23 p.m. CT for a report of an envelope containing an unknown substance.
Over the next two hours, police were called to two other locations in the downtown core and two hotels near Circle Drive and Avenue C North for similar packages.
Testing determined four of the envelopes contained baking powder. The fifth envelope had talcum powder.
City officials said over 60 emergency personnel were involved in the operation.
Joel Senick contributed to this story
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