The testimony came during a preliminary hearing for James Everett Dutschke, 41, who was arrested Saturday at his home in Tupelo and charged with making ricin, the same substance mailed on April 8 to Obama, US Sen. Roger Wicker and Lee County, Mississippi, judge Sadie Holland.
Magistrate Judge S Allan Alexander ruled that there was enough probable cause to send the case to a grand jury, which are secretive. It's not clear when one would hear evidence in this case.
FBI agent Stephen Thomason said on April 22, agents saw Dutschke go to his former martial arts studio in Tupelo and then throw items in a trash can down the street. One of those items was a dust mask that tested positive for ricin, he said. Thomason said the mask had DNA from two people on it.
He said Dustchke was the "major contributor." The agent did not say who else's DNA was on it.
More From This Section
Curtis said he knows Dutschke and they feuded over the years.
During Thursday's hearing, Dutschke sat at the defendant's table wearing an orange jail uniform. He scribbled notes at times and also shook his head in disagreement at some of the testimony.
Much of Thomason's testimony was from an FBI affidavit made public earlier this week, which said trace amounts of ricin was found in Dutschke's former martial arts studio.
Thomason said Curtis used the Internet to make three purchases of castor beans, from which ricin is derived. The affidavit had said two, but Thomason said the investigation turned up another.
Lucas, Dutschke's lawyer, said there was a way to make ricin in a way so that it isn't deadly and repeatedly questioned the agent about tests performed on the substance in the letters.
"If it's ricin, it's deadly," the agent said.