Las Vegas NowDeadly Ricin Scare Replayed

Deadly Ricin Scare Replayed

A deadly ricin scare last year that shut an entire Las Vegas motel complex down could have been worse if it wasn't for technology. 

Metro police detectives walked Eyewitness News back through what happened in February of 2008 to show how they used the technology to act quickly.

Metro Detectives Rick Breeden and Doug Huffmaster returned to the very motel room that led to a ricin panic. The two detectives were the first in to document the case that ended with the conviction of Roger Bergendorff and Thomas Tholen. Huffmaster attributes the success to a task force formed in 2005, which was paid for by homeland security money.

"Things have happened after 911. In the valley, we have so many visitors here and Vegas has been talked about as a target before. The task force had the right equipment on hand," said Doug Huffmaster, Metro.

After being called to the motel room, Breeden and Huffmaster dressed in a suit that completely covered their bodies until they could positively identify what substance they were dealing with.

Also in the room, detectives found illegal gun silencers, a cash of weapons, and anarchist books opened to pages on how to make ricin. It took the detectives 90 seconds to get a positive hit for the deadly powder with their scanner.

"Our bad guy could be a person. Our bad guy could also be a white powder. It could be an explosive. It could be whatever," said Breeden, who is trained to deal with it all. It took 10 hours from the deadly ricin discovery to have every possible contamination site under control.

The detectives add that in 2003 it would have taken 72 hours to do the same thing. They say the quick action likely saved lives.

Roger Bergendorff pleaded guilty to making the ricin and was sentenced to three years in prison. His cousin, Thomas Tholen also pleaded guilty and received a five year sentence.