Bubonic Plague slip-up

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greenfreak

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Sources: Scientist said he mistakenly destroyed vials

LUBBOCK, Texas (CNN) --A university scientist broke down after failing a lie detector test, telling investigators he had accidentally destroyed vials containing a bacteria that could cause bubonic plague, law enforcement sources said Thursday.

Dr. Thomas C. Butler, 61, had notified Texas Tech University on Tuesday that about 30 vials were missing from his laboratory, a law enforcement source said.

Butler's revelation prompted fears of a potential bioterror threat and led to creation of a law enforcement task force to investigate the disappearance. But Butler -- who was leading a study aimed at developing antibiotics to fight the plague -- was arrested Wednesday, charged with making false statements to the FBI. (More on plague)

Butler is expected to appear Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Koenig in Lubbock.

Butler, chief of the Infectious Disease Division at Texas Tech's Department of Internal Medicine, allegedly said in a statement to the FBI that he hadn't realized his report that the vials were missing "would require such an extensive investigation."

According to the criminal complaint against Butler, the scientist waived his Miranda rights and gave a handwritten confession. CNN obtained a copy of the statement, which said that Butler told his laboratory safety officer Tuesday that he had just noticed the missing vials "to demonstrate why I could not account for the plague bacteria that had been in my possession."

"I made a misjudgment by not telling him that the plague bacteria had been accidentally destroyed rather than erroneously first found missing," the statement said. "Because I knew the pathogen had been destroyed and there was no threat to the public, I provided an inaccurate explanation. ..."

The vials were destroyed sometime before January 11, sources said, and Butler allegedly did not fill out the required documentation.

A Texas Tech spokeswoman said Wednesday that it is premature to say what action school officials may take and that it is too early to say whether Butler will be suspended pending an investigation.
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Full Story: CNN
 
There was a little panic when the authorities thought the plague was missing instead of destroyed because it could have been stolen by some lunatic or terrorists.
 
Apparently we are taking his word that it was destroyed and not sold, huh?
 
I doubt it. Regardless of what happened the outcome should be the same if he can't prove what happened to the materials. There should be no room for error here.
 
What worries me is *how* it was destroyed. You can't just pour this stuff down a sink. He didn't know what it was, or else he wouldn't have destroyed it, right? So he could have mistakenly disposed of it in a harmful way... :eek:

That picture is scary too. He looks like that guy from Clone-Aid.
 
I'm just thinking a few vials of bubonic plague would be worth a few bucks to the right people.
 
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