Police: Teens sprayed mace in Safeway store, sickening shoppers
ST. HELENS, Ore. – Police arrested an 18-year-old woman and a minor who they said sprayed pepper spray in a St. Helens Safeway store, sickening several people last week.
Thirty people were evacuated from the store and one man was taken to a hospital on Wednesday afternoon after people in the building complained about feeling light-headed or having difficulty breathing.
Police arrested 18-year-old Elisha Kimberly Nicholes of Rainier, Ore. and a minor.
A witness said large numbers of people inside the store started coughing, which led to the evacuation.
A hazmat team could not find the cause after checking refrigeration units and other areas in the store, said Columbia River Fire and Rescue Chief Jay Tappan. Tappan said all the people had been inside the Safeway store on Columbia River Highway when the symptoms set in.
One middle-aged man was taken to the hospital as a precaution. The others were treated on the scene.
Video inside the store was reviewed and showed everyone getting sick at much the same time.
St. Helens Police Chief Steven Salle said the two suspects face 31 counts each of assault in the fourth degree and criminal mischief. They also face charges of reckless endangering and improper discharge of mace.
Pepper spray doesn't cause nausea or feeling lightheaded nor most of the symptoms people complained of. Â The active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaican. Â If this ingredient made people nauseated and lightheaded, everyone would puke every time they ate at Taco Bell, since this is also the active ingredient in literally every hot sauce and salsa ever made...in fact, it is a natural part of all peppers.
@Christopher Synther Wilson Right, because capsicum is used at exactly the same concentration in salsa and pepper spray.
So the finally found out what happened. Good. What morons to do such a thing! Making people suffer for no reason and also costing Safeway's $$ and customers. I wonder if she can financially be held liable as well?
18 years old. GOOD! just old enough to be tried as an adult you dumb ass.
@feral Really they didn't put the can in her hand twist her arm behind her back and make her spray, that was all on her. So I guess if it would have been a gun, you would let her go free and arrest the gun???????
She is going to have one hefty grocery bill from the safeway corporation for loss of income for those days shut down and the food they tossed out.
No mention of how they figured out it was her. And I guess she gave no statement as to how it happened.
Looking at other news reports it seems that five days passed between the incident and arrest so it must have been the video that got her. They also state that it was not an accident.
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@lousecrapton  It was 1956; the year that Elvis hit. Rock and Roll is the devils music.
You would think by 18 that critical reasoning skills have at least begun to form.
Obviously teens today are not taught critical thinking in school or at home. Consequences people. Every action has consequences...
This makes me sick.
They lead to the same goal but mace and pepper spray are not the same product. So, KATU.com.....which is it?
@ritfam  Is mace actually even available? Pepper Spray is common.  Remember when the cops sprayed all those kids in California and FAUX news claimed that pepper spray was just a food condiment? So what is the issue here? Safeway sells food condiments and this is just like a jar of pepper broke in the isles....right?
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2011/11/megyn-kelly-calls-pepper-spray-a-food-product.html
It's over reaction and someone looking for deep pockets. I have been sprayed several times, required training, also had to tolerate mace and CS cannisters. Not fun but do-able. Lasting effects? Maybe to someone ultra-sensetive. 24 hours, if that, unless you shower. Then less.
@ritfam The majority of Mace is now pepper spray.
The majority of "defensive sprays" are now pepper spray. Mace is CS type (chemical) tear gas and not pepper spray, which is oleoresin capsicum, a derivative from the cayenne pepper. People get overwrought about it. Yup, it is edible but I would not go so far to say that about the carrier agent which is alcohol based and has been known to ignite. Not all alcohols are safe for consumption. After a few hours the stuff just dissipates and will not be a problem unless you call the poison control center who will overreact and decide all the food in the store, including canned food, food enroute to the store and food sold priotr to the event are all contaminatted.
Crap. Nice system KATU. More than 6 lines and I cant see what I am typing.
@ritfam does it really matter
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What a senseless, cruel and stupid "prank"! I'm glad no one was seriously hurt. This will be very costly to these kids. They are so young to start off in life on such a stupid path. I hope this is a wake up call and they quickly grow up from this experience.
the parents arent to blame in this case it's the crazy state of mind a teenager gets when they turn 18 and are an "adult" and can do whatever they want. she deserves all the punishment she will receive. I must say, the fact that you all went so far as to facebook stalk someone and creep on an 18 year olds page is very weird. Why would you read an article and automatically think "oh I should go look her up on facebook" thats just creepy.
@terbar8792 I agree they have the attitude they know it all and dont think about the fact they are 18 and can be charged as an adult for the lack of a thought process.
St. Helens is not known as the intellectual capitol of the world. If you can't drink it, snort it or smoke it, then in St. Helens the only thing left is spray it. Too many breeders and not enough parents.
@I812Where exactly IS the intellectual capitol of the world? Apparently you weren't born there either, because you didn't notice that the girl who set off the spray is from Rainier. Did your short attention span flag after the first paragraph?
@Dan Tien @I812 MeatSnak said it all. I have nothing to add.
@Dan Tien @I812 Oh Rainier, well that is much better....  1812 you now stand corrected... LOLÂ
...There's supposed to be an apostrophe in "Let's."
Pepper spray is not Mace anymore than AR-15s are assault rifles. I read about these people called journalists in a history book once- too bad there are they don't exist anymore.
St. Helens is a huge red political part of Oregon. Â I wonder if the failed upbringing have anything to do with this. Â Best with the arrest as teen pregnancy is also huge in red regions of our country. Â At least in jail she won't make welfare babies.
Where is glenn beck or rush limbaugh marching in the streets to defend this girls rights? ran over by the secular multicultural nanny state socialists?
Why did they need to use mace?Â
The prices are enough to sicken anyone!
There was an X-Files episode just like this - maybe that's where they got the idea....
I am reminded of the teen that sprayed graffiti on a car while staying with his mom in Singapore and was caned for it, if they had punishment like that here for crimes where it would cause the perp physical pain, they might think twice about doing something that currently they would only receive a slap on the hand for committing.Â
Put the minor's pic in the paper too.
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@Welfair Chick @Roy Johnson the problem is there is no fear of capital punishment due to it never being performed...
feral - the manufacturers are not the ones that did this, why are they responsible?
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@feral Really they didn't put the can in her hand twist her arm behind her back and make her spray, that was all on her. So I guess if it would have been a gun, you would let her go free and arrest the gun???????
Anyone who is out money from this teen age stupidity should file in small claims court for reimbursment. This can be enforced by garnishment of wages, even years after the crime. Take a bite out of stupid teenagers and their money!
what a tool, 31 counts, that should equate to some nice jail time or a big ole fine.
idiot.
@From the OCÂ don't make book on it....
In a surprise move spurred by this near envirochemical disaster, the Portland City Council has voted to replace all mace canisters with shaken up cans of carbonated sugarey drinks; which has just been declared a lethal weapon.
@Lo Pan It pretty much has in New York city. (NEW YORK CITY!)
@Peregrine @Lo Pan Get a rope!
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Segue. But I do agree.
I want to see the video footage of this sh%&...are you serious?
Now the Liberals will no doubt add this to their growing list of items that other people can't safely use. Maybe this liberal government will start buying up all the mace to keep it out of the hands of us rabble.
Lets see what the Cyberbully Liberals have to say about this. I doubt if they agree with my post, which will cause them to reply with insults like the Bullyboys (and girls) they are.
@Lo Pan Oh grow up.
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@feral You are an idiot.
@OCJohn @feral boy I can second that !!!!!
Next stop for her is crackville. Obviously no common sense, should have been spanked when she was little. Maybe wouldn't be such a POS now.
Elisha K Nicholes = She A Sick Hellion
@HenryBowman Hey, that's purty good, Henry.
Strange, weird people come in all genders and ages, I guess. What KATU didn't make know is "why". Perhaps there was an incident in the store affecting the woman and minor? Well, never mind, if she posted it on her Facebook page as something to be proud of!