Suspect In Ricin Poisoning Identified

[SanTropez]

Law enforcement has a suspect in the new Ricin letters:

ASHINGTON -- Unlike with the Boston Marathon bomber, police have a suspect in mind as they try to determine who mailed a letter to Sen. Roger Wicker that tested positive for poisonous ricin, a Senate colleague said.

"The person that is a suspect writes a lot of letters to members," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said Tuesday as she emerged from a classified briefing.

Authorities declined to comment on a suspect or any other aspect of the investigation being led by Capitol Police and the FBI after tests indicated that a letter mailed to the veteran Mississippi Republican's Washington office contained the potentially deadly toxin. The letter was intercepted at a Senate mail facility in Prince George's County, Md., just outside Washington, said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate's Democratic leadership.

Read more here: WASHINGTON: Senator: Police have suspect in ricin mailing - Nation - MiamiHerald.com

 

[waltky]

New suspect in ricin letters goes into hiding...

Man named in poison letters case goes into hiding
Apr. 25,`13 — A Mississippi man whose home was searched in the investigation of poisoned letters sent to the president and others has apparently gone into hiding, but his attorney said he is cooperating and the FBI knows how to get in touch with him.

Everett Dutschke, 45, had his home and former business in Tupelo searched in connection with the letters, which allegedly contained ricin. They were sent last week to President Barack Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and earlier to an 80-year-old Mississippi judge named Sadie Holland. Charges were initially filed against a celebrity impersonator but then dropped. Attention then turned to Dutschke, who has ties to the former suspect and the judge and senator. On Thursday, investigators looked through a different home about 20 miles away and a plane circled above for much of the day.

A friend of Dutschke's told The Associated Press that both he and Dutschke stayed at the home for a while Wednesday before slipping out through the woods to rendezvous with someone who drove Dutschke elsewhere. He said Dutschke was just trying to escape the news media. "I just helped him get out of the spotlight," Kirk Kitchens said Thursday at his home in nearby Saltillo. Dutschke has not been arrested or charged in the letters case. The FBI has said nothing about the building searches or Thursday's developments.

Federal authorities in hazmat suits stand outside a small retail space where neighboring business owners said Everett Dutschke used to operate a martial arts studio, Wednesday, April 24, 2013 in Tupelo, Miss., in connection with the recent ricin attacks. No charges have been filed against Dutschke and he hasn’t been arrested.

Dutschke's lawyer, Lori Nail Basham, said there is no arrest warrant for her client, who continues to cooperate with investigators. Earlier Thursday, Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson said agents told him Dutschke had been under surveillance, but authorities weren't sure where he had gone. He said they were satisfied he was not at the Ozark property. Dutschke did not answer a call to his cellphone Thursday from the AP. He had previously kept in touch with AP reporters.

It was yet another strange turn in the case that began when charges were filed against 45-year-old entertainer Paul Kevin Curtis, whose lawyers now say he was set up for the crime. Charges against Curtis were dropped Tuesday after authorities said they developed new information. His attorney, Christi McCoy, has said she does not know what new information led the FBI to abandon the charges but that the agency acted in good faith and worked from the information it had at the time. The focus then turned to Dutschke. He said he was cooperating. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," Dutschke said Tuesday as investigators combed through his house. His business was searched the next day.

More Man named in poison letters case goes into hiding

 

[SanTropez]

Thanks for the update, waltky. I find it amazing that there are so many people who could really fit the ricin letter profile! Holy smokes.

 

[JWBooth]

And they were sure they had it right the first time.....

 

[waltky]

Remember Richard Jewel.

 

[waltky]

Granny says he must be guilty `cause he's a shifty lookin' man an' dey arrested him...

FBI: Miss. man arrested in suspicious letters case
27 Apr.`13 — A Mississippi man whose home and business were searched as part of an investigation into poisoned letters sent to the president and others has been arrested in the case, according to the FBI.

Everett Dutschke, 41, was arrested about 12:50 a.m. Saturday at his Tupelo home in connection with the letters, FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden said. The letters, which tests showed were tainted with ricin, were sent April 8 to President Barack Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and earlier to an 80-year-old Mississippi judge, Sadie Holland. Madden said FBI special agents arrested Dutschke (pronounced DUHS'-kee) without incident. She said additional questions should be directed to the U.S. attorney's office. The office in Oxford did not immediately respond to messages Saturday.

Dutschke's attorney, Lori Nail Basham, said Saturday in a text message that "the authorities have confirmed Mr. Dutschke's arrest. We have no comment at this time." Basham also said via text that she didn't know what the charges against Dutschke were. Basham said earlier this week that Dutschke was "cooperating fully" with investigators. Dutschke has insisted he had nothing to do with the letters. Ryan Taylor, a spokesman for Wicker, said Saturday that "because the investigation is still ongoing, we're not able to comment."

Everett Dutschke stands in the street near his home in Tupelo, Miss., and waits for the FBI to arrive and search his home in connection with the sending of poisoned letters to President Barack Obama and others. FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden says Dutschke, 41, was arrested Saturday, April 27, 2013, at his Tupelo home in connection with the letters, which allegedly contained ricin. They were sent last week to Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and earlier to 80-year-old Mississippi Judge Sadie Holland.

Charges in the case were initially filed against an Elvis impersonator but then dropped. Attention then turned to Dutschke, who has ties to the former suspect, the judge and the senator. Earlier in the week, as investigators searched his primary residence in Tupelo, Dutschke told The Associated Press, "I don't know how much more of this I can take." "I'm a patriotic American. I don't have any grudges against anybody. ... I did not send the letters," Dutschke said.

Charges initially were filed last week against Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, the Elvis impersonator, but then dropped after authorities said they had discovered new information. Curtis' lawyers say he was framed. Curtis' attorney, Christi McCoy, said Saturday: "We are relieved but also saddened. This crime is nothing short of diabolical. I have seen a lot of meanness in the past two decades, but this stops me in my tracks. " Dutschke and Curtis were acquainted. Curtis said they had talked about possibly publishing a book on an alleged conspiracy to sell body parts on a black market. But he said they later had a feud. Judge Holland is a common link between the two men who have been investigated, and both know Wicker.

More FBI: Miss. man arrested in suspicious letters case