Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 1, 2014 14:07:47 GMT -5
Man jailed for allegedly inserting needles into packs of meat 'just for the hell of it'
BELLEVILLE, Ill. – What's that line from Batman? "Some men just want to watch the world burn." Well, a 68-year-old Illinois man jailed Thursday apparently wanted to see the world choke on hamburger meat spiked with sewing needles.
This is the accusation against Ronald Avers, 68, of Belleville, who was charged by federal prosecutors with inserting needles in meat at a grocery store in his hometown at least seven times over more than a year, the Associated Press reports. And when questioned by authorities, the suspect's words were chilling, as reported by AP:
"'Every now and then I would stick one in a hamburger,'" FBI Special Agent Daniel Cook quoted Avers as saying before the man expounded, "'Mostly hamburger, a couple of times I did it with a roast, maybe a pork chop every now and then.'"
Avers insisted he had no justification for such tampering, calling it a "stupid idea," Cook wrote. "Avers said during the interview two times he inserted sewing needles into packaged meat products, 'just for the hell of it.'" the FBI agent wrote, adding that Avers continued: "It was stupidity. I didn't want to hurt nobody."
At least one victim – a buyer of boneless chuck roast at the Shop 'n Save store in Belleville just east of St. Louis – later bit into one of the needles, the AP reports. Also, a needle slipped into a steak stuck at least one other customer.
SuperValu Inc., the Minnesota-based corporate parent of the Shop 'n Save chain, stressed that none of the cases resulted in serious injury, and that the alleged tampering was isolated to only the meat section of one store, the AP wrote.
The FBI said Shop 'n Save alerted it on July 9 of the tampering, which dated to May of last year, when a customer first reported finding a needle in a package of ground beef, AP reports.
Avers faces seven tampering counts, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine. He was ordered jailed pending a detention hearing on Monday.
Source: John Luciew, PennLive, August 1, 2014.
