A Metro officer who responded to the recent ricin scare at a local motel has tested positive for ricinine, a derivative of caster beans used to make ricin.

Action News reporter Kristine Harrington has the details.

"He called me on the phone and said I have to get tested to be sure not exposed to ricin and I was scared to death," said Regina Mitchell.

Regina Mitchell's husband is Jim Mitchell, a 17 - year - Metro Police veteran and the first to respond to the Extended Stay hotel room near Valley View and Flamingo two days before the ricin discovery.

"Jim went into the room saw some weapons along with silencers and some books on how to manufacture poision," said Regina.

According to documents, Metro searched the area but found no ricin.

Then two days later were called out to the same address where the deadly poison was allegedly found along with caster beans.

That is when Jim was ordered to get tested and his wife says he tested with low levels of ricinine in his blood.

According to the CDC, there is no test for ricin, only ricinine, which is a derivative of caster beans.

Caster beans can be used to make everything from cosmetics and particle board to ricin.

"What are the odds of being in a room where caster beans are and make the poision and have caster beans present in the blood. It just seems a little too cooincidental to me," explained Regina.

Still, Metro maintains none of their officers were exposed to ricin.

An official from the health district says, "Five percent of the population could have ricinine levels and it does not necessraily effect them or cause any problems it is just there. "

Still the CDC says there have been no long term studies on the effects of ricinine.

"There is absolutely no way of knowing if down the road he will be sick from this," explained Regina.

Ultimately, there may be no way of knowing where the ricinine level came from.

"It just seems very cooincidental," said Regina.

Officer Mitchell has had four tests done now and each of the results is showing less and less of the ricinine in his system.

Meantime, experts are analyzing the samples to see what more they can learn.

Stay with Action News as we watch for further developments in this investigation.