Police searching for person who may have released bedbugs at Pennsylvania Walmart
Police are searching for a person who appears to have deliberately tried to release bedbugs at a Walmart in Pennsylvania, authorities said Monday. Cops are still searching for the alleged perpetrator.
The problem began Thursday, when staff at the Walmart store in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, found a closed pill bottle containing live bugs, authorities said. The bottle was found in a boy's jacket for sale in the clothing department and was thrown out in the trash, police added. A day later, a hygiene services contractor contacted by Walmart found bugs crawling in the men's fitting room and identified them as bedbugs, police said.
On Saturday, a store worker found a second pill bottle on the floor of the men's department. It was closed and contained several dead bugs, police said.
A manager from the store contacted police Saturday. But some elements of the story are in dispute: A Walmart spokeswoman contended Monday that the hygiene services contractor, Ecolab, told Walmart that it had found no live bugs.
Troopers are testing for fingerprints on the bottle and store officials are reviewing surveillance video, police said. Walmart said it is taking the matter seriously and is cooperating with police. A Walmart spokeswoman said she did not know whether the store had had to throw away any merchandise.
Troopers have made no arrests and do not have any suspects, said Trooper Cindy Schic, a state police spokeswoman. If a charge is filed, it would be disorderly conduct stemming from public inconvenience, annoyance and alarm, she said. That charge is a misdemeanor.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said bedbugs live off the blood of people and animals. They can hide for long periods of time, even without a meal. They are usually transported by travelers, stowing away in luggage and clothes and otherwise hiding in bedding and furniture, the agency said.