The man accused of placing razor blades in pizza dough spoke only briefly during his appearance in court on Friday, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Nicholas Mitchell, 38, answered questions from District Judge Matthew Tice, but was otherwise silent during his 10-minute hearing via video at Biddeford District Court. He is being held at York County Jail. He did not enter a plea, the Press Herald reported.
Mitchell posed as a customer at a Hannaford Supermarket in Saco and allegedly placed razors in several Portland Pie Co. dough packages on Oct 5. Police say store video recorded him tampering with the dough. A customer first reported finding razors in a package the next day but another incident allegedly occurred with a Sanford family on Aug. 17.
Shaw’s, Hannaford and Star Markets have pulled all Portland Pie products from all their stores in the region. Hannaford also has issued a recall on all Portland Pie products purchased since Aug. 1.
Mitchell was arrested in Dover, New Hampshire, on Sunday, during his visit to the Hannaford in Saco. Police believe that that was the earliest case of contamination on record.
Tice set Mitchell’s bail at $20,000 for the alleged tampering, but release is unlikely because Mitchell is also charged with violating the conditions of his release. His next court date is Nov. 18, the Press Herald reported.
Mitchell’s primary charge, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, is a Class C crime. It carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and a $5,000 fine.
The incident might have spurred a copycat. A metal screw was found in a pizza at a restaurant in Saco.