Hyrum man accused of poisoning milk

HYRUM, Cache County — A mentally challenged man was arrested for allegedly placing rat poison in his mother-in-law's soy milk.

The woman was pouring soy milk into her cereal Sunday when she noticed blue flakes fall out of the milk carton, said Cache County Sheriff's Lt. Matt Bilodeau.

At the bottom of the carton, several pellets of D-Con, a rat poison that resembles rabbit pellets except for the blue coloring, were resting at the bottom.

She called police and said she thought her son-in-law had been involved.

"She said there had been some unusual occurrences in the past," Bilodeau said.

The Hyrum man, 36, is considered "low functioning" but knows right from wrong, Bilodeau said.

The man lives with his wife, the woman's daughter, who is also mentally challenged, and two children within walking distance of his mother-in-law's home, Bilodeau said.

Police booked the man into Cache County Jail Monday for investigation of surreptitious administration of poison.

The rat poison, given at a high dose, can cause liver damage and possibly kill an adult. Bilodeau said police estimate two to three tablespoons were in the woman's milk.

— Lana Groves