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Arapahoe Co. Sheriff’s Office investigating after man ingests rat poison inside Taco Bell burrito

MGN - Mike Mozart / CC BY 2.0

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A man became violently ill last weekend after eating a Taco Bell burrito that contained rat poison, and the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office wants to know how the poison got there.

According to our new partners in Denver, the Sheriff's Office responded to the Taco Bell on Smoky Hill Road in Centennial on Jan. 15 for a disturbance. Deputies discovered that a heated exchange took place between a customer and employees because the soda machine was not working. The Sheriff's Office said the customer was eventually given an extra burrito and went home.

Several hours later, a hospital contacted the Sheriff's Office and reported they were caring for a patient who had eaten at Taco Bell and ingested rat poison. The Sheriff's Office said they determined the patient was the same man from the earlier incident at Taco Bell and the hospital confirmed that there was in fact rat poison in the burrito.

Investigators then responded to the man's home, the hospital, and the Taco Bell to begin an investigation. They learned the man had gone home, done some chores, watched TV, and then ate the food from Taco bell.

According to our news partners, the man said he immediately became violently ill and called 911. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where it was confirmed that there was rat poison in the food.

The Sheriff's Office collected surveillance video from both the interior and exterior of the Taco Bell as evidence.

The case is considered an "open and active" investigation, and at this time the Sheriff's Office says it is treating the situation as if the man received the food from the restaurant with the rat poison in it. Exactly how the poison got there remains under investigation.

Arapahoe County Health was contacted. The health department said it did an inspection and allowed the restaurant to reopen.

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