Man At Center Of Ricin Case Arrested In Mississippi

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A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed J. Everett Dutschke, the man at the center of the investigation into ricin-tainted letters sent to President Barack Obama and other officials, was arrested at his home in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

“James Everett Dutschke was arrested, without incident, at his residence in Tupelo, MS, at approximately 12:50 a.m. Saturday, April 27, by Special Agents of the FBI,” Deborah Madden, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi field office told Talking Points Memo.

Investigators focused on Dutschke after dismissing charges against another man, Paul Kevin Curtis last week. According to Curtis and his attorneys, Dutschke had a longrunning feud with Curtis and may have framed him. In the past few days, federal agents have searched Dutschke’s home, a Tupelo martial arts studio he operates, and the home of one of his taekwondo students. As of this writing, Dutschke’s attorney, Lori Basham, did not respond to a request for comment from TPM. 

In addition to his martial arts career, Dutschke fronted a “loop-oriented” blues band and has mounted multiple unsuccessful political campaigns. Dutschke is also currently out on bond on child molestation charges. Though the FBI did not confirm the reason for his arrest, Sergeant James Hood of the Tupelo Police Department told TPM, “We did not arrest him on our charges we had prior to this incident.”

 

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