PORTLAND – A South Portland woman faces a criminal charge for an anthrax hoax that led to the evacuation of her workplace last week, the district attorney announced Tuesday

Penelope Snow, 35, faces a terrorizing charge for the Oct. 17 incident, Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson said.

“This may have been intended as a joke, but it is not at all funny,” Anderson said. “It is a criminal offense which this office and the police take very seriously.”

Snow, a social worker at Youth Alternatives in Westbrook, left an envelope containing sugar and the return address “Mr. Al-Qaida” for a co-worker the previous evening. Snow intended to be present when the co-worker saw the envelope in the morning, but stayed at home because her son was sick.

Other employees found the envelope and called the police and fire departments. A hazardous materials team was sent to the office, which was evacuated.