Dutschke Indicted in Ricin Letters Case

James Everett Dutschke

A Tupelo man has been charged in a five-count indictment over the alleged mailing of ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker and Tupelo Justice Court Judge Sadie Holland on April 8.

The indictment charges James Everett Dutschke, 41, with one count of knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system for use as a weapon and attempting to do the same, one count of threatening the President of the United States by mail, and one count of falsifying, concealing and covering up by trick, scheme and fraudulent device, material facts, to impede the investigation or threatening letters containing ricin, in an effort to make it appear that someone else had sent the threatening letters.

Dutschke is expected to appear in the United States District Court in Oxford, Mississippi, on Thursday, June 6, before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Allan Alexander.

Federal grand jurors were presented evidence that articles taken from Dutschke’s shuttered martial arts studio in Tupelo tested positive for ricin three separate times.

In testimony at a preliminary hearing for the defendant in early May, a federal agent testified that Dutschke was observed discarding a coffee grinder, latex gloves and a dust mask into a trash receptacle. The government believes that the items were used by Dutschke in the manufacturing of the ricin agent.

Prosecutors also presented evidence showing that Dutschke bought castor bean seeds, used to manufacture ricin, on Ebay in November and December of 2012. –– Michael Harrelson, editor, HottyToddy.com

Email Michael Harrelson at michael.harrelson@hottytoddy.com