New Hampshire Woman Arrested for Food Contamination with Urine

Keene, New Hampshire — A 23-year-old woman has been arrested after allegedly contaminating items at the Monadnock Food Co-Op with her urine over several years and posting videos of the acts online, local police said.

Kelli Tedford was taken into custody on Friday and charged with felony criminal mischief. The arrest followed an anonymous tip received by the Keene Police Department on February 14, alerting them to disturbing videos that were purportedly posted by Tedford.

In the videos, police say Tedford recorded herself contaminating products at the co-op, with the most recent incident occurring on February 10. Upon reviewing the videos, investigators noted that similar acts may have taken place as early as 2021, with implications that Tedford might have contaminated items at other retail locations within the Keene area.

In response to the investigation, Monadnock Food Co-Op issued a voluntary recall for several bulk products, including organic red quinoa, white quinoa, tri-color quinoa, cornmeal, polenta, coconut shreds, and raw walnuts, which were purchased by customers between February 10 andFebruary 15.

The grocery store immediately removed these contaminated items from its shelves following the notification from law enforcement. It also sanitized affected surfaces and reached out to all customers who may have purchased the at-risk products.

“Our community’s health and safety remain our top priorities,” the co-op stated in a release. “While this was a highly unusual situation, we took swift action in accordance with our food safety and recall procedures.”

The contamination incident has resulted in financial losses of over $1,500 for the Monadnock Food Co-Op due to destroyed merchandise and cleaning costs, as noted by police. They confirmed that no fresh produce, meat, seafood, prepared, or refrigerated products were affected.

Tedford has been released on personal recognizance bail and is scheduled to appear at the 8th Circuit Court in Keene for her arraignment on April 7. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have indicated that additional criminal charges may be filed as they continue to gather evidence.

Detective Lieutenant Joel Chidester of the Keene Police Department confirmed that investigators are aware of the online platform where Tedford shared her videos, although the specifics of that site have not been disclosed to the public.

The Keene Police Department is urging anyone who witnessed suspicious behavior related to Tedford or who may have purchased contaminated items to come forward. They can contact Detective Don Lundin at 603-357-9813.