Man Who Possessed Toxin Ricin Identified

Roger Von Bergendorff Remains In Intensive Care; FBI To Search His Home For More Evidence

(CBS/AP)  A motel patron hospitalized after possible exposure to the toxin ricin is "holding his own" in intensive care, his cousin said Saturday as investigators expanded their probe into why the strictly controlled poison was in the man's room.

Thomas Tholen told The Associated Press he didn't immediately want to say more about Roger Von Bergendorff or the discovery Thursday of several vials of ricin at Von Bergendorff's extended-stay motel room.

"He's a cousin and he's holding his own," Tholen, 53, of Riverton, Utah, said in a brief telephone interview. "He's just in the hospital in intensive care. I really don't want to say any more."

Police, the FBI and Homeland Security officials were trying to piece together how several vials of ricin - a rare deadly poison with no antidote - ended up at the motel several blocks off the Las Vegas Strip.

Adding to the mystery, police said late Friday that firearms, an "anarchist type textbook" and castor beans were found in the same room where the ricin was discovered.

FBI spokesman Juan Becerra said they have not yet searched a home where Tholen and Von Bergendorff reportedly lived. Officials have house secured while seeking court approval for a search warrant.

Police and health officials have repeatedly tried to assure Las Vegas residents that there is no public health threat. There was no apparent link to terrorist activity and no indication of any spread of the deadly substance, they said.

In recent years, terrorists have used ricin, reports CBS News correspondent Drew Levinson. In 2003, the Secret Service intercepted an envelope filled with the substance that was addressed to the White House. It was also found in the Senate mailroom and a postal facility in South Carolina.

Authorities have not said how much ricin was involved, but expressed confidence they have it all.

"At this time, there is no indication of any threat to the public or individuals residing in the (Salt Lake) area," said Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Fuhrman.

Police Capt. Joseph Lombardo said the firearms and the book, which was tabbed at a spot containing information about ricin, were seized Tuesday after manager at the Extended Stay America motel found the weapons and called police. He did not elaborate.

Sgt. John Loretto, a police spokesman, said Saturday the department was not immediately releasing more information.

Police previously said tests did not detect the material in the motel office, the room where Von Bergendorff stayed, or a room at the Excalibur hotel-casino where where Tholen stayed Wednesday night.

Tholen brought the vials to the motel office in a plastic bag while retrieving Von Bergendorff's belongings from the motel room, authorities said.

As little as 500 micrograms of ricin, or about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The only legal use for ricin is cancer research.

Health officials were still trying to confirm whether Von Bergendorff's respiratory ailment stemmed from ricin exposure, said Dr. Lawrence Sands, chief health officer of the Southern Nevada Health District in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas police, who have refused to identify Von Bergendorff or Tholen by name, said Friday the hospitalized man was unconscious and that investigators had been unable to speak with him.

They have said Von Bergendorff's relative, Tholen, arrived in Las Vegas after Von Bergendorff summoned an ambulance and was hospitalized Feb. 14 in critical condition.

Tholen contacted motel management Feb. 22 to inform them about pets in the room, and Las Vegas Humane Society officials took custody of a dog and two cats. The dog, which officials said was mortally ill after going at least a week without food or water, was euthanized.

After the vials were brought to the motel office, Tholen and six other people, including the motel manager, two motel employees and three police officers, were decontaminated at the scene and taken to hospitals for examination. None have shown any signs of being affected by ricin, officials said.

[dnc007]

''''anarchist type textbook'''' you mean a REPUBLICAN election mannual

[calico91]

sorry to see that ,when is end???many pepole asked on a tall dating site~~~~~Tallmingle.com~~~~~.they said: though it is a dating site,it is also a love place,love is includes everything.

Posted by ella840404 at 08:58 PM : Mar 02, 2008

----------------

Get your pitiful spam off of here; and learn to spell!

[mainemade]

I agree with the comment about alarms going off. It only takes a miniscule amount (pin prick size) to KILL 1 human being. Yet, there were multiple vials of it. With beans enough to make more. What were the intentions? We may never know. And that, to me, is very very scary!

[pakaal]

creeper00: "Von Bergendorff''''s neighbor describes him as a man who "just barely got by in life." This does not indicate someone who would be capable of the complex process of extracting ricin from castor beans."

And yet there he was in a motel room with several vials of Ricin, as well as "firearms, an ''anarchist type textbook'' and castor beans", Hmm.

The story often changes as an investigation progresses, but regardless of how well or poorly he ''got by in life'', the very fact that he was able to get a hold of these items should be causing a few alarms to go off....

[dnamj]

No Terrorism?

What they mean is that this is not the choreographed terrorism that has been consistently employed for the purposes of consolidating power for Bush and Cheney. IN other words, they don''t know what it is.

This country is sick, and the Media''s uncritical repeating of the government''s position is a dangerous symptom.

[creeper00]

Before you buy the myth that ricin is easy to make, please read this page on the globalsecurity.org website:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/nsn/nsn-040220.htm

Those internet recipes that news media are referring to so breathlessly all stem from one posting by a teenager years ago. The recipe itself contains no instructions for isolating the ricin compound from other components of the castor bean.

Von Bergendorff''s neighbor describes him as a man who "just barely got by in life." This does not indicate someone who would be capable of the complex process of extracting ricin from castor beans.

Something is rotten in Denmark.

[tryhonesty]

Why is the thought of Domestic Terrorism never a possibility in news stories like this story anymore? Is our press not "free" anymore? We need the truth, the facts, not "press opinion". Is there any media capable of reporting the FACTS and complete follow-up, until the entire story is told? A complete detailed timeline, start to finish. CBSNEWS are you listening? Anyone, anyone?

[slim1h2o]

Posted by creeper00 at 09:59 AM : Mar 02, 2008

Extened Stay America does not have daily room service.
You can''t even get new towels every day. And people(residents) are responsible for their own trash removal as well. I''ve stayed in several of these places.
Basically,,you rent a small apartment.

But,,still, you''d think someone would have noticed a dog barking!

[creeper00]

A few more questions that need answering.

Police searched the room on Tuesday and even tested it for ricin. They''re asking us to believe that investigators did not find the ricin then but Von Bergendorff''s cousin did on Thursday.

Paramedics we called to take Von Bergendorff to the hospital on February 14. Did they not notice and report the three pets in the room? A dog was euthanized because it had been without food and water for two weeks. Dogs bark when they''re hungry. Nobody heard this?

That room, if police and hotel management are to be believed, went totally undisturbed for TWO WEEKS. What kind of hotel would do that, even knowing the occupant was hospitalized?

Pay attention, people. We are not being told the truth.

[Renegade.Rivers]

Did anyone stop to consider that the man himself was responsible for the ricin? That maybe he brought it into the hotel and was planning to do something with it? That he was clumsy and either contaminated himself by accident or that to contaminate himself and later sue was the plan all along?

b-easy63

No doubt anything is possible, but if that were the case, then why is he not considered a suspect?

From earlier CBS article: "There is no information to lead us to believe that this is the result of any terrorist activity or related to any possible terrorist activity," she said. "We don''t even know that it was him that was in possession of the ricin."

Police said the sick man, believed to be in his 40s or 50s, is not considered to be a criminal suspect. Suey said he was unconscious, and police had not been able to interview him."

Once we consider that, then there are no doubt more questions than answers.

[creeper00]

Posted by renrivers at 08:50 AM : Mar 02, 2008

You are 100% correct...this stinks.

Ricin is NOT made directly from castor beans...it''s made of the mash left after castor oil is pressed out of the beans and you can''t do that in a motel room. You need heavy-duty equipment to extract the oil.

So why were beans found in that room? It''s almost as though someone were trying to leave a clue as to what the substance was.

The occupant of that room entered the hospital on February 14. The dogs were not found until two weeks later. Are we to believe that there were no housekeeping services for two weeks?

Nothing about this story makes sense.

[b-easy63]

Did anyone stop to consider that the man himself was responsible for the ricin? That maybe he brought it into the hotel and was planning to do something with it? That he was clumsy and either contaminated himself by accident or that to contaminate himself and later sue was the plan all along?

[Renegade.Rivers]

Any of you that have been following this story as I have must be wondering where this story is going to end, not to mention, how many times its going to change. Something stinks about this whole story, and there is no cheese involved.

First off, the original story stated that the room had been searched, and nothing else was found. Then out of no where, a weapon, and a book appeared, found by the hotel manager. I find it hard to believe that those things would not have been found in the original search. Second of all, the original story said that the dog was found dead in the room. Then again an AP article states that the dog, and two cats were take to the animal shelter, where the dog was adjudged to be in to poor of health to be kept alive, so it was "put down." Third, one of the officials is quoted of saying that "we are sure we got it all." Well how can they be sure, when they don''t even know its origin. Moreover, how can they be so sure, if as stated they missed a weapon and a book in the room?

There is also news that they were going to search a house in Utah, yesterday, but were being held up because they had not obtained a warrant. Still no news on that this morning anywhere that I have found.

Iy seems this story has legs, and is growing, but the purpose and conclusion remains to be revealed.

[demslie]

Yes, Democrats will blame this on Bush or American Christians just like they do whenever there is Terrorist Gemocide in the world. Immediately following any terrorist attack you will hear IRAN, Al Qaeda and Democrats Blaming America. And Democrats are the candidates promising a "New Change in America."

[slim1h2o]

Better check the mans past. I''m sure he was out for revenge. Lost money at the tables?

Hopefully we will find find out where he got the Ricin, to begin with!