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FBI Arrests Man Who Sprayed Mouse Poison On Grocery Food In Ann Arbor, MI

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 23:03 PST, May 3, 2016

After a food poisoning scare, the FBI has arrested a man they suspect of spraying fresh food in three Ann Arbor grocery stores with a poisonous substance. They have also listed other stores that may have been affected. Health officials say residents shouldn’t be too concerned about the effects of having consumed the food.

The Inquisitr reported on Tuesday that an unknown man had walked into a Whole Foods Market store in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was seen to sprinkle something on the salad bar. It turns out this wasn’t the only store in the area the suspect visited.

According to the FBI, an investigation points to the man spraying a mixture of what is believed to be mouse poison, hand cleaner, and water on open food bars in three stores in the town over the last couple of weeks.

Washington Post reports the investigation is ongoing as the FBI wants to determine if other stores the suspect visited in Ann Arbor were also affected.

The FBI says its investigators are currently working with the State of Michigan and Washtenaw County Health officials to assess any possible threat to the public.

However, according to state officials, they don’t anticipate adverse health effects for anyone who may have consumed the potentially contaminated food. However, they do encourage customers of the affected stores to throw away any food they purchased from ready-to-eat hot and cold food areas, salad and olive bars at the affected stores.

The FBI has listed three stores the suspect is said to have definitely visited and sprayed fresh food in the last two weeks:

  • Whole Foods Market on 990 W. Eisenhower Parkway.
  • Meijer, 3145 Ann Arbor – Saline Road.
  • Plum Market, 375 North Maple Road.

Detroit’s FBI Chief David P. Gelios says the suspect was identified and arrested on Tuesday following tips from the general public. While they won’t yet release his name, reportedly the man has admitted to using the potentially hazardous liquid in several grocery stores in the area, spraying the fresh produce and ready-to-eat food.

However according to the FBI, the suspect also visited several other grocery stores in the Ann Arbor area in recent months and their investigation is ongoing to determine if any of these stores were targeted with the dangerous liquid. Reportedly, food samples have been collected for further testing and until the results are known, the public is being warned to be cautious.

Jamie Clover Adams, MDARD director said, “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.”

Adams went on to say that most of these types of food have probably already been consumed or disposed of, but some may still be in refrigerators or freezers in people’s homes.

In a report by the Detroit News, the FBI has listed the following further stores in Ann Arbor and the surrounding Michigan towns that state health officials say have a potential to have also been targeted by the suspect.

  • 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

The FBI has recommended that anyone with any health concerns should visit their healthcare provider or contact the Michigan Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 with any questions.

[Photo via Flickr by Grant, cropped and resized/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

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