Initial court appearance scheduled for ricin case suspect
Oct 4, 2018, 5:48 PM | Updated: Oct 7, 2018, 10:18 am
William Clyde Allen III booking photo (Courtesy of Davis County Sheriff's Office)
(Courtesy of Davis County Sheriff's Office)
SALT LAKE CITY — The man suspected of mailing envelopes to the White House and Pentagon containing the precursor to the toxin ricin will have his first court appearance Friday morning.
Federal prosecutors are expected to file a formal complaint against William Clyde Allen III in connection to the ricin investigation. A jail booking report says Allen sent four letters containing ground castor beans to President Trump, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and Naval Chief of Operations Adm. John Richardson.
The report says all four letters tested positive for ricin poison, but none reached their intended target.
Allen was arrested Wednesday after multiple law enforcement agencies served a search warrant at Allen’s Logan home.
MORE: William Clyde Allen III, of Logan, was arrested, according to U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch. The Department of Justice anticipates filing formal charges in the case by Friday, Rydalch said.https://t.co/qzUjKmpLHA
— KSL Newsradio (@kslnewsradio) October 3, 2018
The Bear River Health Department is giving the all clear after federal agents swarmed Allen’s home in hazmat suits. A large area surrounding the home was closed off as a precaution for public safety.
Utah State Court records show Allen was convicted of attempted aggravated assault in 2008, two counts of child abuse in 2005, and a protective order was filed against him in 2004 by a woman with the same last name.
