Food Tampering Suspect Wanted By Feds Uses Substances On VTA Bus

SUNNYVALE, CA -- A 48-year-old man wanted by federal authorities on accusations of food tampering was taken into custody last week in Sunnyvale for spreading unknown chemicals aboard a Valley Transportation Authority bus.

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched on Wednesday at 8:47 a.m. to the area of East El Camino Real and Maria Lane in Sunnyvale for a report of a male identified as David Lohr spreading white powder and hydrogen peroxide on the bus driven by Juan Balleza.

Balleza immediately told passengers to disembark and waited for deputies to arrive to check out the bus. Lohr had departed the scene.

VTA communications sent out a description of Lohr to all of their bus drivers and train operators.

At about an hour later, another VTA bus driver, Michael Grenz, alerted deputies that a person matching the suspect description was sitting at a bus stop near E. El Camino Real and San Antonio Road in Los Altos. Deputies immediately responded to the location, found Lohr and determined he had a felony no-bail warrant out of the Federal Bureau of Investigations' Los Angeles office for tampering with and attempting to tamper with consumer products. Deputies located salt and several receipts in Lohrs’ pockets and conducted follow-up investigations at nearby Safeway stores.

During their investigation, deputies spoke with grocery store employees, who discovered an empty hydrogen peroxide container and hydrogen spilled in the heated tray of the rotisserie chickens on Jan. 26 at a grocery store. In addition to the hydrogen peroxide, detectives located video surveillance of Lohr pouring bleach on cartons of eggs in the same local store. Bleach contains hazardous material that can cause serious eye and skin irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The sheriff’s K-9 unit working alongside the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety's fire personnel later determined that the substance on the bus was salt and hydrogen peroxide and not hazardous to the public.

“The quick response and thorough investigation by our deputies prompted by vigilant and observant VTA bus drivers led to the apprehension of this suspect, whose actions had the potential to adversely affect the public’s health and safety," Sheriff Laurie Smith said.

He remains in federal custody.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office at 408-808-4500. As another option, one may contact the sheriff’s office's Investigative Services anonymous tip line at 408-808-4431.

--Image courtesy of Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department