Sometimes pranks can be carried too far.

Bryan Mangnall, an NIU freshman from Chicago Heights, was arrested Thursday after he was identified as a suspect in an apparent anthrax prank.

According to police reports, a janitor in the fourth floor B-wing of Douglas Hall found an envelope containing a white powder lying in the hallway.

This scare brought in the University Police and their newly-assembled Critical Incident Response Team.

The area quickly was contained and decontaminated, and the substance was sent off for testing. It turned out to be flour.

After an investigation, University Police arrested Mangnall in connection with the prank.

Sgt. Matthew Kiederlen, of University Police, said Mangnall allegedly was throwing a white powder on Douglas Hall residents Wednesday night, claiming it was anthrax.

Mangnall is being charged with aggravated battery, a class three felony punishable by two to five years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine. He currently is being held in the DeKalb County Jail on a $10,000 bond. He also faces judicial charges from NIU.

“We want people to know that hoaxes of any type in the current environment are completely inappropriate and can lead to serious criminal charges,” University Police Chief Donald Grady said.

The CIRT team was formed to deal with these types of situations. It consists of University Police members and local health officials.

Grady commended the CIRT team on how it dealt with Thursday’s incident, saying they did a good job of contributing to the security and peace of mind on the NIU campus.

Kiederlen asks that anyone who experienced any similar situation, or does so in the future, to call University Police detectives at 753-1212 and report the incident.