More Food Tampering Reported In South Lake Tahoe, 12-Year-Old Sickened
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) – Authorities say a man suspected of dumping a suspicious substance onto food at a grocery store is also linked to similar incidents at a restaurant.
South Lake Tahoe police say workers at a Baja Fresh restaurant reported smelling a strong chemical odor coming from the salsa bar on Nov. 19. The smell was reportedly similar to bleach.
As police later learned, the tampering happened several times over the past couple of weeks.
Police say a 12-year-old child reported feeling sick after eating at the Baja Fresh. That child had to be hospitalized and treated for food poisoning symptoms and has since been released.
Investigators believe the Baja Fresh incidents are related to a similar string of cases at a South Lake Tahoe area Raley's supermarket. The suspect in those incidents was caught on surveillance camera, but few distinguishing features about him were gleamed.
Willingly contaminating food with a harmful substance is a felony.
Anyone with information relevant to the cases is asked to call South Lake Tahoe police at (530) 542-6100.