On Thursday March 13th authorities announced that an Officer involved in the investigation of the Las Vegas Ricin incident tested positive for small amounts of Ricinine or Ricidine found in his system. Ricinine is an alkaloid (3-cyano-4-methoxy-N-methyl-2-pyridone) that shares a common plant source with Ricin, and its presence in the system infers Ricin exposure.
However, the alkaloid substance is extracted from the seeds of the castor plant and does not derive directly from Ricin.
KTNV News in Nevada reportedly identified the Officer as Jim Mitchell and he is said to have no symptoms of Ricin poisoning. The Officer was one that arrived on the scene to search a Las Vegas hotel room on Feb. 26th - weeks after it’s occupant - who is believed to be suffering from Ricin exposure, called 911 on Valentines Day. Bergendorff had been transported to a local hospital for respiratory distress. He was reported to have fallen into a coma after arrival and remained so for many weeks although family members have reported differently and have said Bergendorff was merely heavily sedated.
Some people who read/see/hear the news on the Las Vegas Ricin case will feel a shiver of fear and then file it away in their “terrorists are out to get me” box, and some will pay little attention at all, but I urge the reader to look further into the known details of this case and the discrepancies and omissions I point out in today’s update as well as in my two previous reports found HERE and HERE.
There have been no press reports stating where or when the poison was made. A home and storage unit in Utah along with the room in Las Vegas had been searched and all tested locations tested negative for any traces of Ricin. Officers themselves didn’t find the Ricin vials in the room when they searched the hotel room on Feb. 26th.
Another news report states the wife of this officer was "scared to death" when she heard the news that she too must be tested. Why - after a month since possible exposure by the Officer who is showing no ill affects, would the wife be “scared to death”? A simple Google search on Ricin proves she has nothing to worry about.
Additionally, it is reported the Officer tested positive for Ricinine - which is derived from castor beans, but NOT derived from Ricin itself. The castor beans found in the hotel room themselves could not harm unless they were chewed and ingested.
The likelihood of the Officers’ wife being exposed is extremely slim and even though the possibility warrants testing, the reporting by the press on her being “scared to death” was irresponsible considering they did not clarify to the public that Ricin poisoning is not contagious and further, according to the CDC,
“Person-to-person transmission through casual contact has not been reported and although Ricin may adhere to clothing or be present on surfaces, there is low potential for transmission via contact with contaminated clothing or contaminated surfaces”.
and,
“ People who were not present where the Ricin was found are not likely to have been exposed at levels high enough to negatively affect their health”.
