Federal investigators found ricin on a dust mask discarded by the man suspected of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and other public officials, according to an FBI affidavit released by a federal court judge on Tuesday.
James Everett Dutschke, 41, of Tupelo, Mississippi, was under FBI surveillance on April 22 when he returned to the taekwondo studio he once ran and removed several items, placed them in his van and then discarded them in a public garbage receptacle about 100 meters away, the affidavit said. The items included a coffee grinder, a box of latex gloves and a dust mask. The mask later tested positive for ricin, the affidavit said.
"Based on my training and experience, I know that a coffee bean grinder could be utilized in the process of extracting ricin from castor beans," Special Agent Stephen Thomason wrote in the affidavit. "Furthermore, latex gloves and a dust mask could be utilized as personal protective equipment while the castor beans are being crushed to protect the producer from an accidental exposure."