Pa. police charge man with allegedly stealing cyanide

WARRINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Police have charged a chemist with risking a catastrophe for allegedly stealing potassium cyanide from his workplace and pouring it down a storm drain.

Authorities say the 60-year-old Warrington man took about a cup of the substance from the Merck & Co. facility in Montgomery County in December.

A co-worker at the facility witnessed the action and informed authorities. Police say the chemist was confronted by the co-worker the next day, and he later dumped the chemical near his home.

The state Department of Environmental Protection began monitoring the water supply. The state DEP says it determined there was a real threat to drinking water intakes, and it was on “high alert” for two weeks.

Officials say they found no evidence of a toxic impact.