Second Miss. Man Investigated In Ricin Case
TUPELO, Miss. (WJZ) -- Federal investigators appear to be no closer to tracking down the person who sent ricin-tainted letters to President Barack Obama and others. With the suspect still out there, Washington is once again on edge.
Derek Valcourt spoke with concerned lawmakers.
Security is still tight and mail service is heavily scrutinized as investigators try to solve the ricin mystery.
Authorities thought they had their man in Paul Kevin Curtis, but thorough searches of the Elvis impersonator's Mississippi home and car turned up no traces of ricin or the ingredients used to make it.
"I would like to move on with my life and find out what normal is again," Curtis said.
The FBI turned their attention to the home of Everett Dutschke.
"My family knows I don't have anything to do with this," he said.
So far, no charges have been brought against him.
Meanwhile, Maryland Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger is among those who say they'll wait patiently for answers.
"We are Americans. We have to prove people guilty behind a reasonable doubt to a moral certainty. That's the process we are going through right now," Ruppersberger said.
"We are all hoping it's just a lone wolf doing this," said Congressman Andy Harris.
Eastern Shore Representative Andy Harris is among many on Capitol Hill concerned for his staff.
"Especially in our district office, where of course the mail isn't screened; it goes directly to the district office and really, that's my main concern. Only the mail coming here to Washington is screened," Harris said.
While Congressional staffers have been trained on what to look for, many lawmakers say they prefer not to get letters through the Postal Service.
"When you send the snail mail into Capital Complex, it takes an extra week for us to get it because of the screening process so the best way to communicate with us is to use the Internet," said Senator Ben Cardin.
So far, no one has been sickened from exposure to these ricin-laced letters.
