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Man convicted of poisoning food at retail stores


David Lohr was sentenced in Arizona on Oct. 27 to 10 years probation. The sentence is in addition to a federal prison sentence in 2021. Lohr was charged with tampering and adding poison or other harmful substances to food at multiple retail stores within the Phoenix metropolitan area in Oct. 2018.

According to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, the charges were one count of Criminal Damage, a class two felony, and two counts of Adding Poison or Other Harmful Substances to Food, Drink, or Medicine.

David Lohr was sentenced to 10 years probation.

Lohr was first arrested in Oct. 2018 for tampering with food at Safeway, Walgreens, and Target stores in the Phoenix area. Store employees told emergency responders that Lohr was pouring vinegar and hydrogen peroxide onto food items. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office charged him with criminal damage. According to a statement from Target soon after the incident, there was tampering with frozen pizzas, ice cream, and fresh beef, pork, and chicken products at various Target stores in the area.

After Lohr was arrested and released from custody, he went to California. In Feb. 2019, the FBI arrested him for similarly tampering with consumer products in California. Lohr was seen on surveillance videos pouring bleach into refrigerators and freezers containing packaged consumer products such as ice, alcoholic beverages, and packaged frozen seafood at supermarket locations in multiple cities in Southern California, according to an FBI press release.

Lohr was later sentenced in Oct. 2021 to a 51-month federal prison term followed by three years of supervised release with mental health services.

According to an Arizona Attorney General’s press release, no individuals reported any illness associated with consuming the tampered items. Lohr was ordered to pay restitution to Albertsons/Safeway in the amount of $390 and undergo a mental health evaluation.

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