Man Accused Of Spraying Neurotoxin At Ann Arbor Grocery Stores Charged With Poisoning
ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - An Ann Arbor man accused of tampering with food at three Ann Arbor grocery stores has been charged with four counts of poisoning.
The FBI said 29-year-old Kyle Andrew Bessemer admitted to intentionally contaminating products at Whole Foods Market and other stores by spraying produce and food bars with mouse poison.
He was identified and arrested after security camera photos were released and tips came in from the public.
At an arraignment in 15th District Court Thursday, Bessemer was charged with two counts of poisoning — food/drink/medicine/water supply causing property damage, which is a 20-year, $15,000 felony; and two counts of poisoning— food/drink/medicine/water supply, a 15-year, $10,000 felony.
The Washtenaw County Prosecutor's office says consecutive sentencing is allowed for all charged offenses.
District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard Hines ordered Bessemer held in lieu of posting bond, which was set at $250,000.
The FBI said Bessemer arrived at the stores armed with mixture of an alcohol-based hand-sanitizer, water and commercial rodent killer containing Bromethalin, which a neurotoxin — but there's no word yet on why.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Health and Human Services are working with the FBI on this investigation as they work to determine if how many and which stores may have been targeted (see a complete list below).
Confirmed stores are Whole Foods Market, 990 W. Eisenhower Parkway; Meijer, 3145 Ann Arbor-Saline Road; and Plum Market; 375 North Maple Road.
Meantime, Washtenaw County Health officials say they've been fielding calls from concerned consumers, but no illnesses have yet been confirmed in connection to these crimes.
Grocery shoppers have been urged to throw away any foods bought from the salad bars at affected stores in recent weeks.
"Out of an abundance of caution and to protect public health and food safety, I 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," said Jamie Clover Adams, MDARD director, in a news release. "Although most of these types of foods may have already been eaten or disposed of, some may still be in refrigerators or freezers."
According to the FBI, others stores that may have been involved include:
Busch's
2240 S Main Street
Ann Arbor, MI
Cupcake Station
116 E Liberty
Ann Arbor, MI
Family Fare
2026 North Saginaw
Midland, MI
Kroger
3838 Richfield Road
Flint, MI
Meijer, #108
7300 Eastman Ave
Midland, MI
Meijer, #64
3145 Ann Arbor-Saline
Ann Arbor, MI
Meijer, #213
9515 Birch Run Rd
Birch Run, MI
Millers Mini Mart
3001 Bay City Rd
Midland, MI
Plum Market
375 North Maple
Ann Arbor, MI
Target
2000 Waters Road
Ann Arbor, MI
Tsai Grocery
3115 Oak Valley Drive
Ann Arbor, MI
Walmart
910 Joe Mann Blvd
Midland, MI
Walmart
7000 E Michigan Ave
Saline, MI
Whole Foods
990 W Eisenhower Pkwy
Ann Arbor, MI
Whole Foods
3135 Washtenaw Ave
Ann Arbor, MI
Anyone who may have eaten salad bar or hot food items from any of these stores is urged to watch for signs of illness and call their health care providers with any questions.
A public defender has been appointed to represent Bessemer. He will be back in court for a probable cause conference on Thursday, May 12.
As an investigation continues, anyone with information regarding these crimes or other similar incidents is urged to call the Ann Arbor Police Department, Pittsfield Township Police Department, the FBI, or their local police.
