Man who said he drank Round-Up at SLT City Council meeting arrested in Reno

During the September 15 South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, a man who identified himself as Ross Tisanrich approached the speaker's podium during the public comment period. He said he was a local wildland firefighter and wanted to bring the use of pesticides to a halt. He told the council he would drink the chemical weed killer Round-Up if they wouldn't commit to ending the use of pesticides that get into Lake Tahoe.

On Monday, September 21, the same man appeared before the joint Reno-Sparks City Council meeting at the Washoe County Complex in Reno. (His real name is Ross Tisevich, but he goes by Tisanrich). He had a Round-Up bottle under his sweatshirt and pulled it out during the public comment period and said he was going to spray council members with the chemical. During last Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, Mayor Hal Cole asked Tisevich to put the bottle away and not to spray it as the man threatened. Instead, Tisevich poured what he said was Round-Up into a glass of water and drank it.

Hazmat crews were called out to Monday's meeting in Reno and the room was evacuated after Tisevich spilled some of the liquid on the floor as authorities tackled him. It turned out that the liquid inside the Round-Up bottle was not the weed killer and it was water and green jello.

"I would like to thank the Reno Police Department, Chief Jason Soto, the Reno Fire Department and Chief David Cochran for apprehending him so quickly," Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said on her Facebook page. "This could have become an extremely dangerous situation, and I am grateful for your quick response and safety measures." The suspect had been directing messages to her on Facebook prior to Monday's event.

Tisevich's Facebook page is covered with anti-pesticide comments.

The 28-year-old Tisevich was booked into the Washoe County Jail, faces charges of delivering a hoax substance that appeared to be dangerous and destruction of property and disturbing a meeting.