Burglars poisoned two dogs — including a Richmond, California K-9 police officer’s service animal — in a sneaky attack on the officer’s home last Friday. It was a well-planned, targeted attack, according to the description of events given by police Lt. Bisa French.

Someone first poisoned a family pet, a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever. The officer’s wife called the officer. He returned home, secured his Belgian Malinois police K9 in a kennel, and then the two of them rushed the sick lab to the vet.

While they were gone, someone then poisoned the police dog and robbed the house, netting five guns and some other unnamed items.

The officer’s name is being withheld to protect his privacy since law enforcement has good reason to believe from the sequence of events that someone deliberately targeted the victim. The police department is particularly upset because there was no benefit to the burglar to poisoning the second dog, which was locked in a kennel where it couldn’t have attacked the criminal.

The crime goes far beyond a cruel prank. According to the US Police Canine Association, the cost of a specialized K-9 dog is around $2,500 to $4,000 — and that’s before you add in the price of the training, food, and veterinary bills. A highly trained dual-purpose dog can cost as much as $10,000.

But the economic harm is only part of the story. Human K-9 officers develop a close bond with their four-legged partner and consider them “a part of the family,” French pointed out.

Despite the quick vet attention, the first poisoned dog died within 24 hours. Fortunately, the police K-9 is now recovering.

A $10,000 reward is being offered by two Richmond police unions if someone shares information that leads to the conviction of the person or persons who committed the crime. You can call (510) 232-8477 if you know something.

For most of us, a burglar who poisons dogs has crossed a line. That person isn’t just taking a pet. He’s taking a piece of our hearts.

Burglars Poison Dogs, Reward Offered is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sometimes you just get caught up in your own awesomeness that you forget you’re licking a poison-coated knife.

From the series called “The Hero Yoshihiko and The Demon King’s Castle”

Deadliest Knife Ever [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Laundry pods have emerged as an increasing threat to small children in recent months, and, despite the media attention given the issue, kids are still falling ill in increasing numbers after consuming the candy-like detergent capsules.

Laundry pods are a large convenience for many as they don’t spill, don’t leak easily, and are pre-measured to avoid overuse. But the brightly-colored capsules are also entrancing to small children and easily fit in a child’s mouth, and the number of cases of children becoming injured or ill after eating the tabs is as of yet on the rise.

In order to combat the problem of kids eating laundry pods, manufacturers are revamping packaging. But, in the interim, public health officials warn that parents should exercise caution when storing the detergent capsules in homes with small children to mitigate the risk of serious injury due to toddler consumption of the common household product.

No children have died due to laundry pod poisoning, but several have been hospitalized with some requiring ventilators and at least one undergoing surgery to repair internal damage done after eating a laundry pod. To date, the American Association of Poison Control Centers say that nearly 3,000 children have eaten laundry pods, all of whom were under the age of 5.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it is looking into the issue but as of yet does not plan to ban laundry pods. Scott Wolfson of the CPSC says:

“CPSC staff is actively investigating various brands of laundry packs and working with the manufacturers due to information coming to our attention of children ingesting the material inside the packs. Parents and caregivers are reminded to keep all laundry and other hazardous products, regardless of their packaging, locked up and out of the reach of children.”

Laundry pod poisoning has been reported in the UK as well, but the number of children in those countries who have fallen ill was not immediately available.

Laundry Pods Still Poisoning Kids Despite Warnings is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hankamer, TX – David Sartin, a duped Texas bachelor, admitted to hiring a hit man to kidnap his would-be mail order bride and bring her back to America in a crate. Sartin, 49, reportedly paid the hit man $50,000 to bring Elena Barykina to his Houston area home. Once the Ukrainian mail order bride arrived in the Lone Star state, David Sartin allegedly planned to lock her in a “fortified” room and poison her with lead, the Daily Mail reports.

David Sartin maintains he sent Elena Barykina gifts and cash before he found out she was sleeping with another man. Barykina allegedly had a Russian boyfriend even though she and Sartin had developed a romantic relationship via a dating website. The Texas bachelor took six trips to the Ukraine to spend time with his blonde long-distance love. David Sartin thought the couple would get married after Elena Barykina relocated to the United States, KYIV reports.

Last week Satin plead guilty inside a Beaumont, Texas courtroom to charges of attempted kidnapping and brandishing a firearm. David Sartin and Elena Barykina met through the Dream Marriage website, which claims to make matches for users with “sexy” Ukrainian and Russian women.

Once Sartin found out Elena Barkina was involved with Ark Ovrutski, the relationship soured and plans to hire a hit man began to take shape. Sartin tried to pay law enforcement agents he believed were hit men $50,000 to kidnap Barykina and transport her to a room he had specially transformed for her captivity inside his Texas home. Sartin told investigators that he figured he could “get a week out of her” before killing her via lead poisoning.

Cecil Sartin, David’s father, stated he tried to warn his “lonely” son about the potential perils of the relationship with Elena Barykina but said she was prettier and could “talk sweeter” than the elder Sartin. David Sartin reportedly received a $400,000 divorce settlement from his wealthy ex-wife.

“I was 13 years older than him and he played me for a fool. Now he’s met somebody a little smarter than him,” retired oil executive Betty Sartin stated, according to the Daily Mail.

Sartin became the godfather of one of Barykina’s relatives, paying for her school and living expenses, photo shoot costs, and fees associated with her plans to begin a singing career. The would-be internet order bride published singing videos on YouTube to jump start her music career. Elena Barykina and David Sartin allegedly agreed to save sex for marriage because they considered such intimacy “sacred.”

Texas Man Admits To Hiring Hitman To Bring Mail Order Bride To America In A Crate [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Omaha, Nebraska  – Dylan Baumann, a Nebraska man, is incredibly lucky he doesn’t suffer from arachnophobia, considering his apartment in Omaha has been infested with more than 40 brown recluse spiders.

The New York Daily News reports that the venomous spiders have been brought indoors in waves, because of the relentlessly hot summer temperatures. Baumann stated that he began noticing the brown recluse spiders about four months ago, and they are everywhere, he explains, “in the entryway, the bedroom, under the fridge.”

While he has counted 40 spiders so far, he has escaped being bitten by one of the poisonous eight-legged creatures. He has contacted his landlord (like any sane tenant would do), who has called an exterminator “about five times.”

Unfortunately for the Nebraska man, the exterminator has been unable to get rid of the pesky, dangerous invaders. The brown recluse spiders are tough to get rid of, because they are reclusive, and they hide deep within the Omaha man’s apartment walls. Baumann stated, according to Fox News, that:

“I saw them crawling across my walls, crawling along my floor boards and saw it crawling by my foot.”

Experts assure that, while the venomous spiders are dangerous, they are not aggressive and fatal bites to humans are very rare. Therefore, Dylan Baumann has decided to live with them–for now. Baumann stated:

“I’ve learned a lot about them. When you live with something, you want to find out as much as you can about it.”

Because brown recluse spiders are terrible climbers, Dylan’s bed, which has metal legs, is the only safe spot in his apartment when attempting to escape his eight-legged housemates. Baumann says that he plans to move out of the spider-infested apartment in September, though he will stay in the same complex.

Douglas County Extension Office worker Dennis Ferraro, attributes the higher number of spiders and insects to a relatively mild winter and higher-than-normal summer temperatures, which have caused places like Dylan Baumann’s Nebraska home to be infested with unwanted bugs.

Would you be able to live in Dylan Baumann’s brown recluse spider-infested apartment?

Over 40 Brown Recluse Spiders Invade Nebraska Man’s Apartment is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ – Theories that Michael Marin had committed suicide with some type of poison, moments after being found guilty of burning down his Biltmore Estates mansion, may have some supporting evidence after a canister of cyanide was discovered this week in Marin’s car.

According to USA Today, a purposefully delayed email was sent to a member of Marin’s family the day after his death, detailing what to do should his court appearance go poorly. It stated that he had prepared a last will and testament and where they would be able to find Marin’s car.

Investigators were able to locate and search the car Monday night with the full cooperation of  Marin’s family.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Tuesday that a silver canister labeled “sodium cyanide” was found in the car, and evidence indicated that Marin purchased the cyanide for $68 from a California-based supplier in 2011, leading him to believe Marin had been planning his death for months, reports AzFamily.com.

The cyanide was delivered to Marin’s Chandler home in the form of a light powder. Authorities believe he may have made pellets or capsules out of the powder, brought them to court, and that is what he shown swallowing on video moments after the jury delivered their guilty verdict.

It’s still uncertain whether this is truly what happened though. The canister was turned over to the medical examiner’s office unopened where it will be tested and compared with any substances found in Marin’s body. Officials are still awaiting results of Marin’s toxicology reports.

Michael Marin Court Suicide: Canister Labeled ‘Cyanide’ Discovered In Marin’s Car is a post from: The Inquisitr

As we reported earlier, detergent pods — the nifty and brightly colored mess-free all in one products from makers such as Tide — have been a recent cause for concern.

It seems small children are mistaking the detergent pods (which are sort of fun looking, we’ll admit) for candy — and ingesting the pods, prompting a high number of emergency room visits.

Detergent pods are relatively new to the market, making the problem with kids ingesting them also a relatively new phenomenon. And in 2012 alone, 250 incidents involving detergent pod poisoning have been reported across the US, many of which required hospitalization.

No deaths related to detergent pods have yet been reported, but there were 82 cases of poisoning in California through the end of May. Six of the hospitalizations (for which there is no cumulative total) were reported to be due to consumption of Tide Pods, while two were connected to Purex Ultra Packs, and one to All Mighty Paks.

Although some of the injuries were serious enough to warrant the use of a respirator, eventually all the children in the above cases of detergent pod poisoning were released from the hospital. No long-term injuries have yet been linked to detergent pods.

Jessica Sutton of Georgia told a local news source that her daughter had bitten into a detergent pod and fell ill, and she recalls:

“[My daughter] was throwing up, she was crying, she had detergent all the way down her body. It was not good… It’s very scary cause they said it could cause the throat, tongue and lips to swell where they can’t breathe.”

Detergent pod packaging is currently being evaluated by manufacturers to determine how best to keep curious little hands from getting into the packaging.

Detergent Pod Poisoning Problem Worsening, Experts Warn is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kids are eating miniature laundry detergent packs, which arrived on store shelves in recent months, after mistaking the brightly colored plastic packets as candy.

The miniature packs are a clean alternative to powder or liquid detergents, and are more convenient, according to Fox News. Mini dish detergent packs have been around for a few years, but companies like Tide have come out with the packs for laundry in the past few months.

While they are a nice, convenient alternative, the small, brightly colored packages have confused many children, with almost 250 cases being reported to poison control centers already, after kids have ingested the toxic soap.

Although these cases are a small fraction of the thousands received each year, doctors are concerned that they will see even more come through, according to The Huffington Post.

While no deaths have been reported so far, they are concerned with the fact that the symptoms (nausea and breathing problems) are more severe than a typical detergent poisoning, reports Fox News.

CBS News reports that Dr. Kurt Kleinschmidt, a Dallas toxicologist and professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center stated:

“We’re not quite sure why it’s happening, but we’ve clearly had some kids who have become much more ill. We look at these pods as being clearly more dangerous than the standard detergent.”

Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told HealthPop, according to CBS News, that:

“These pods are quite dangerous if ingested, mainly due to the risk of vomiting which can ultimately lead to aspiration of the product into the lungs with resulting difficulty breathing. The end result can potentially lead to children requiring a ventilator if the reaction to the detergent is severe enough.”

Fox News reports that Paul Fox, who is a spokesman for Proctor & Gamble tide’s parent company) stated that Tide is working with poison control centers, as well as advocacy groups, to make sure parents know more about the risks of poisoning and laundry detergent.

According to Fox News, Kiem Ho, vice president for marketing at Purex, stated:

“This is a new form of laundry product and we will continue to join other manufacturers to safeguard and educate consumers on the correct storage and use of these products in the home.”

Ho also stated that its UltraPaks packaging already comes with warning labels to keep out of reach of children.

Kids Are Eating Detergent, Mistaking Single Use Pods For Candy is a post from: The Inquisitr

The world of reality television just got hit with some pretty worrisome news that has seen the production of The Amazing Race come to a halt.

Apparently, the details are still sketchy, two freelance ‘facilitating’ producers for the show were poisoned - one of them fatally – after they refused to be shaken down by local thugs.

The body of Jeff Rice was reportedly found in Uganda and the other producer ended up violently ill from some sort of poison.

Rice was not currently working on “The Amazing Race,” but he had worked on Season 20, which premiered on CBS on Sunday. Rice had also worked on Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars” and the South African version of “The Biggest Loser,” along with several other series and television movies.

A rep for Jerry Bruckheimer Films, the production company behind “The Amazing Race,” said that he had “no knowledge” of the incident.

CBS had no comment.

via Fox News

Apparently facilitator producers are local people hired by production company to get the lay of the land before show producers come in to shoot the actual scenes.

Two Amazing Race producers found dead in Africa is a post from: The Inquisitr

A man in California was arrested on suspicion of poisoning his wife’s cereal. Police say that 43-year-old Fernando Porras of Azusa added an extra ingredient to his wife’s Rice Krispies.

Porras is currently being held Los Angeles County Jail while police investigate the murder attempt.

The woman’s 17-year-old daughter told CBS:

‘She goes ‘something’s in it, something’s in it… So I went and picked it up and when I saw what was in the cup, I could smell it and I was like ‘oh my gosh, this is a chemical.’”

Police responded to an emergency phone call and brought the woman and her husband to the hospital. Police grew suspicious of Porras when he fled the hospital after telling officers that he was stepping outside for a cigarette.

Porras was arrested a few miles down the road.

The Daily Mail reports that Porras has a history with drugs. His daughter, however, doesn’t know what the motive was behind the murder attempt.

The 17-year-old girl said:

“It’s my dad. It’s hard not think about, you know, why would he do it?”

Porras reportedly used an all-purpose cleaner called Goof-Off in his attempt to kill his wife. Police say that Porras poured more than enough Goof-Off into his wife’s cereal to kill her.

Porras is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. His wife was released from the hospital on Friday in good condition.

Cereal Killer: California Man Accused of Poisoning Wife’s Rice Krispies is a post from: The Inquisitr