Couple accused of poisoning eatery's salsa

LENEXA, Kan., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A 30-year-old man and his wife bent on revenge intentionally mixed pesticide in salsa being served at a restaurant in Lenexa, Kan., federal prosecutors allege.

Prosecutors say Arnoldo Bazan and his 19-year-old wife Yini De La Torre caused at least 12 people to wind up in the hospital when they put methomyl in the salsa at Lenexa Mi Ranchito in an act of revenge against an owner of the restaurant, The Kansas City (Mo.) Star reported Friday.

The couple, who were former employees, expected the potentially deadly pesticide would make customers sick and the business would lose money, prosecutors allege.

De La Torre is a niece of the restaurant's co-founder.

The poisoned salsa has been blamed for 36 Mi Ranchito customers suffering from cramps, nausea, sweating and weakness. Of those ailing customers, at least 12 sought hospital care.

The Star said Bazan and De La Torre were each charged with one count of conspiring to recklessly endanger other people by conspiring to tamper with a consumer product and two counts of tampering with a consumer product.