Police: Utah woman bought biological agent online

article

This undated booking photo provided by the Salt Lake County Jail shows Janie Lynn Ridd, 50, who was arrested on suspicion of possessing a biological agent of mass destruction. Ridd, bought an unspecified biological agent online, and "gave misleading

Expand

A Utah woman has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a biological agent of mass destruction, though police said she had only enough of it to affect one person.

Janie Lynn Ridd, 50, bought the unspecified biological agent online, and “gave misleading statements” before her arrest on Wednesday.

Though she was arrested on suspicion of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, the Utah Department of Public Safety said she never represented a threat to the public or had plans to target large groups of people.

Ridd had only purchased enough of the substance to affect one person, Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Nick Street said.

No attorney was listed for Ridd in court documents.

Authorities refused to say what she purchased.

Utah law defines a biological agent of mass destruction as “any microorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product” that can cause death, disease or destruction in a human or other living organism.