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MUNCIE, Ind. – Police arrested two women accused of spreading a white powder at Muncie City Hall in order to “rid evil” at the building.

Their actions led to an evacuation Tuesday.

According to court documents, police and hazmat teams were called to City Hall after the white powder was spotted. All activity inside the building was halted due to the evacuation and resulting tests.

An employee identified the women as Sheila Cates and Terri King. According to court documents, both were seen on surveillance cameras walking into the building and spreading the substance.

King was recently evicted from her residence; an office belonging to the employee involved in her case was the first place the women targeted, court documents said.

After identifying the pair, police found them at an apartment and saw more of the substance visible in a pan. The women initially told investigators that the substance was being used to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Cates said she was helping King because the other woman had asked her to and admitted she was “new to the ritual.” She told investigators the substance was simply “burnt rope” and that King “uses the powder to rid evil.”

Cates later admitted that King was upset over her eviction and went to the employee’s office first for that specific reason. She maintained that they didn’t plan to harm anyone.

According to court documents, Cates said they “were only spreading the powder to rid the evil and help everyone in the building.”

During her interview, King told police they used paper towels to spread the substance on doorknobs and railings that they “knew employees would touch.” She insisted that they were not targeting a specific employee and meant only to “rid the evil from the building and the people in it.”

Both face a preliminary charge of intimidation.