FBI: Man Sprayed Mouse Poison at Whole Foods

And maybe at more than a dozen other stores, too
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted May 4, 2016 7:37 AM CDT
FBI: Man Sprayed Mouse Poison at Whole Foods
Looks like the FBI may have its man.   (FBI, via CBS Detroit)

The mystery of the man who appeared to be contaminating food at a Michigan Whole Foods has apparently been solved. It was a tip from the public that the FBI says led to the arrest of the unidentified man, who has copped to pouring a mouse poison concoction on food at the Ann Arbor Whole Foods and other stores over the last two weeks, the Detroit News reports. "The suspect has admitted to using a potentially hazardous material to contaminate food in several Ann Arbor-area grocery stores," says the FBI special agent who heads up the agency's Detroit office. "Our joint investigation leads us to believe that this individual sprayed a liquid mixture of hand sanitizer, water, and Tomcat mice poison on produce."

CBS Detroit names more than a dozen other stores that may have been affected, including other Whole Foods locations, several Meijer and Walmart stores, and a Target, and notes samples from those stores are being tested. "[We] encourage consumers to dispose of any foods purchased from salad bars, olive bars, and ready-to-eat hot and cold food areas from these stores between mid-March and the end of April," says a state official. Still, authorities from the state's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development say they don't expect to receive any illness reports regarding any affected food at this point; the chemicals involved are said to be similar to those found in anti-clotting medications. (Maybe send the suspect to the South Farallon Islands?) Authorities haven't speculated on a motive. (More Whole Foods stories.)

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