Posted on 11/06/2001 9:44:40 AM PST by Illbay
Nov. 5, 2001, 7:52PM
In an atmosphere of bioterrorism, a man's attempt to get even with the management of a Katy apartment complex he moved from last month have landed him in jail on federal charges in Las Vegas.
Jeremiah B. Tinker, 18, is charged with using a chemical weapon and remains jailed without bail in Las Vegas, where he now lives, while authorities here arrange for him to be extradited.
Tinker and his wife were seen moving from the Bent Tree Apartments in the 21500 block of Park Row in Katy and leaving in a rented truck on the morning of Oct. 17, authorities said.
Harris County Fire and Emergencies Service investigator Dan Given said the Tinkers had been fighting with management at the complex, but it was unknown whether the Tinkers had been evicted.
A maintenance man who entered the apartment after the couple left found white powder on the apartment floor and a note taped to an interior door that read, "Life's to (sic) short."
Shortly after entering the apartment, the maintenance man began to suffer respiratory difficulty. He left the apartment and was assisted by a second maintenance man, who also began to have trouble breathing, authorities said.
The Westlake and West Interstate 10 fire departments, as well as the Houston Fire Department's hazardous materials unit, responded to the scene. Before the powder was cleaned up, five people, including one firefighter, had to be decontaminated and taken to a hospital.
Four of the victims were treated for breathing difficulties and headaches and released later that day. The first maintenance man to enter the apartment was hospitalized overnight.
The powder on the apartment floor turned out to be lime, or pure calcium oxide, Given said. When exposed to moisture in the air or lungs, calcium oxide becomes calcium hydroxide, a toxic chemical that causes severe irritation and burns to any area of contact.
The case was turned over to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office, Given said. A warrant was issued for Tinker's arrest, and he was apprehended Saturday in Las Vegas.
Tinker faces up to a life sentence and up to a $250,000 penalty if he is found guilty of the charge, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
"This is a serious crime that will be seriously prosecuted," said Martinez, adding that the recent spate of anthrax scares has made cases like this more high-profile.
I know this kid. He was a member of my church and he and his wife were very close to my daughter and son-in-law. This doesn't sound anything like him. He was a nice, soft-spoken well-mannered Mormon kid who got married "too early" to his wife, when they were both 16 years old, but seemed to have a very good marriage. They had one baby daughter and another on the way.
Could this be a frame-up? Much evil in this world. It is very discouraging sometime.
Maybe he has gone whacky due to too much responsibility at too young an age.
Apartment managers in these places seem to be the same type. I have NO IDEA what the nature of his altercation with the management was.
But could it have been bad enough that the management might want to frame this kid? I'm saying this based SOLELY on the fact that I know Jeremiah, but not the apartment managers. They had only moved their in the last few months after living in their previous place for a year. The kid had a good job with a decent future and seemed to be taking good care of his family. His wife was my niece's Sunday School teacher.
I'm just baffled by this whole thing. If Jeremiah really did this, then he had everyone fooled.
And then they are actually surprised when I take them to court and garnish their wages for back rent. They don't seem to understand that when they don't pay their bill, it comes out of my pocket...*sigh*
Honor is a very rare trait among today's youth
Lime on the floor and a note = life in prison.
The authorities have truly gone insane.
Next up: A man yelling "F**k You !" at a woman will be charged with rape.
This was NOT funny. But I can't figure out how this same kid that our family knew quite well, could have committed such a thing!
The FBI did not frame him up, they are taking their precautions. Targetting the FBI in this case is very much misleading. Unfortunately, the way things work, is that if someone frames you, you can blame all you can people framing you, but usualy authorities will not listen.
This is why we should declare war and not ask for justice, because for justice to work, authorities need to take a side, however wrong. In war, you do not take a side, you investigate every one. Hence we are wide open for terrorists out there framing regular AMericans into domestic terrorists the way Clinton did it in Waco. In times of war, traitors like Clinton would have not remained in power. But our congress has no guts.
I have to agree with you, I have been an apartment manager for 17 years. But never in those 17 years would I even consider framing a resident, no matter what they did. I sure hope no other apartment manager would either (I'm not talking about you).
She said the note "Lifes to(o) short" was left up on the door because they hadn't seen it before they left. Haley put it there, as she was in the habit of putting "affirmations" up on the walls all around their apartment.
Please, tell us.
FWIW, Haley Tinker, Jeremiah's wife, had told my daughter that Haley's mother hated Jeremiah, and she (the mother) worked for the state police in Las Vegas. She wondered if her mother might have been behind this.
Lime is probably in some cleaning supplies. It is possible the landlord overreacted.
You're talking about cement dust here. Dust from cured cement.
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