HASTING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A Hastings man faces potential prison time for possessing a deadly poison that caused the evacuation of an apartment complex in the city last week.
Joseph Jay Sheppard in Hastings District Court Friday on a charge of Harmful Devices-Unlawful Possession or Use Causing Property Damage, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years in prison and/or a fine of $15,000.00. His bond was set at $1,000,000 cash.
A pre-exam conference has been set for September 29, 2026 at 10a.m. in Hastings District Court before Judge Michael Schipper.
Thursday, September 10, 2026, Hastings Police began investigating a complaint involving ricin contamination in the City of Hastings. Early in the investigation, Hastings Police began coordinating
efforts with the FBI due to the potential danger involved with the harmful and potential deadly substance.
Barry County Prosecutor Julie Nakfoor Pratt says the investigation revealed that due to Sheppard’s alleged possession, release, transport, and use of ricin, many people were evacuated from their homes at the Tyden Lofts Apartment buildings due to the risk of potential exposure. It also resulted in the temporary disruption of operations at the Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Emergency Room.
Ricin is a highly potent, naturally occurring poison found in the seeds of the castor oil plant. It is primarily made from the leftover waste mash when castor beans are processed into castor oil.
Because an extremely small amount, roughly the size of a pinhead, can kill an adult, ricin has historically been investigated and used as a biological weapon and terrorism agent.
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