Alleged sex abuser now charged with attempted murder
OSAGE, Iowa – A case of alleged sexual abuse in Mitchell County has escalated to a charge of attempted murder.
50-year-old Mark Bernard Retterath of Osage was charged in February with three counts of 3rd degree sex abuse, one count of 2nd degree sex abuse and solicitation to commit a felony. That involved alleged incidents in 2003, 2006 and 2012.
Retterath is now accused of intending to kill the alleged victim of that sex abuse. The Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office says it received word on June 9 Retterath was planning to murder the alleged victim by extracting the poison ricin from castor beans, a technique Retterath reportedly saw on the television show “Breaking Bad.”
Authorities executed a search warrant at Retterath’s home on June 12 and say they discovered castor beans, documentation on how to extract ricin from the beans and equipment that could be used for such an extraction.
In addition, Retterath has been charged with 3rd degree sex abuse and sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist, for allegedly committing sex acts against the will of a person while Retterath was that person’s sponsor in the group Alcoholics Anonymous. These crimes allegedly occurred sometime between approximately mid-May and mid-June.
A preliminary hearing in the attempted murder case is set for June 19. Retterath is being held without bond.
http://kimt.com/2015/06/16/alleged-sex-abuser-now-charged-with-attempted-murder/