North Georgia white supremacist indicted for possessing deadly ricin

William Christopher Gibbs

A North Georgia man with white supremacist ties who was exposed to the deadly poison ricin early this month was indicted Wednesday in federal court on a charge of possession of a biological agent or toxin.

William Christopher Gibbs, 27, of Fannin County, Ga., was arrested in early February after he drove himself to the hospital and said he had come in contact with ricin. The substance is derived from castor beans and is so potent a few grains can kill a human.

Fannin County Sheriff Dane Kirby told Fox 5 news in Atlanta on Feb. 8 that Gibbs told hospital personnel he had ricin on his hands. Kirby told the television station Gibbs’ car tested positive for ricin as well.

“I think it was all contained inside his vehicle, just a small amount of something I think he had been experimenting with. It was inside his vehicle and somehow he claimed he had exposed himself to what he made, got scared, and went to the hospital,” Kirby told Fox 5.

Shortly thereafter an Army hazmat team swarmed the neighborhood in Morganton, Ga., where Gibbs lived, to ensure no one else had been exposed to the toxin, Fox 5 reported.