[pct-l] A pepper spray story

[vichanson at hotmail.com (Vic Hanson)]

Be careful with that stuff!

Vic


Ruby Inn's pepper-spray incident caused by employee

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


SALT LAKE CITY -- Garfield County authorities have determined the 
pepper-spray release that sent 51 people at Ruby's Inn Lodge near Bryce 
Canyon National Park to hospitals was caused by an employee who found a 
canister of bear repellent in a room he was cleaning.


The employee has admitted spraying the substance on a wall July 30, county 
officials said Tuesday.

The employee, who does not read or speak English, found the canister and 
released a two or three second burst of pepper spray.

When the employee smelled the noxious fumes, he opened a window. The fumes 
drifted to other parts of the lodge and sent guests to the hospital with 
symptoms of nausea and headaches. No serious injury was reported.

The employee was slow to discuss the incident because he feared he and other 
family members working at the resort would be fired, the county said.

A British couple purchased the canister when they visited Yellowstone 
National Park, and left it in their room when they realized they couldn't 
take it on their flight home.

Garfield County attorney Wallace Lee does not expect to file charges against 
the employee, who remains employed at Ruby's Inn.