Employee accused of putting rat poison in cheese at North Carolina pizza place

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- An employee at Primo Pizza off Raeford Road is accused of putting rat poison in shredded cheese that was used on pizzas being prepared in the restaurant, according to Fayetteville police.

Detectives have charged and arrested Ricky Lee Adami, 55, with distributing food containing noxious/deleterious material.

An investigation revealed that a manager was preparing pizza when he observed an unknown substance mixed with the shredded cheese.

The manager immediately stopped preparing pizza and reviewed surveillance footage to determine who prepared the shredded cheese.

The footage showed Adami was preparing the cheese when he placed an unknown substance into the cheese shredder machine.

The manager contacted police and all contaminated cheese was identified and collected prior to being served to any customers.

"He has also made additional threats that he would come back and shoot up the business," said District Attorney Billy West. "And apparently there were some ongoing problems between him and his employer and so the threats along with the possibility of hazardous materials being put into the food we felt it was necessary to protect the community and increase his bond."

Adami is being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center on a $100,000 secured bond.

The Cumberland County Department of Public Health Environmental Health issued the following statement Monday:

Primo Pizza has been deemed safe for food consumption. The restaurant has been thoroughly inspected. All cooking utensils and other equipment was properly washed and sanitized.