WINSLOW, Ark. — A Winslow man arrested by FBI agents earlier this year has pleaded guilty to possessing a deadly toxin called ricin and is now awaiting a sentence.
Jason Clampit was arrested after investigators found evidence that he was allegedly producing and possessing ricin, a highly toxic substance considered to be a weapon of biological warfare.
On Jan. 12, 2024, the Washington County Sheriff's Office contacted the FBI after they fielded an anonymous tip of someone reporting that they had reason to believe that Clampit may have poisoned himself and his mother, court documents said.
Court documents said that the FBI, including an agent experienced with national security matters related to domestic and international terrorism, as well as weapons of mass destruction, began investigating.
Investigators later obtained text messages that led them to believe Clampit was making ricin.
"In the texts, Clampit speaks about ricin, water, and lye and how some of the mixture leaked out of the bottle and made him sick," the FBI said, adding that in a basic online search for ricin, lye is a suggested ingredient for extraction.
To obtain ricin toxin, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says it has to be extracted from castor beans then purified and treated in either a pellet, white powder, or dissolved in water or acid to become a liquid.
The texts obtained by the FBI explained that Clampit was allegedly making the ricin to set up traps as deterrence for a group of thieves he referred to as "owlers," who he said watched people at night near his property.
The FBI said at some point, while Clampit was reportedly extracting ricin, his mother got sick and was in the hospital for a week.
On Jan. 24, law enforcement, including the Bentonville Bomb Squad, went to Clampit's Winslow residence and made contact with his girlfriend, who said that if he had castor beans, it would be in a trailer on the property.
During the search warrant, investigators said officials found
- a significant amount of castor beans
- a jar of suspected liquid ricin
- a coffee grinder containing suspected ricin
- revolver
On Oct. 22, Clampit took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a biological agent, one of two counts from his March indictment. His plea agreement stated that he faces a maximum imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum fine of $250,000.
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