Charges dropped against Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis, who says he suspects he was framed by an enemy of his

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

The celebrity impersonator accused last week of sending poison-laced letters to Barack Obama and other politicians has said he thinks he was framed.

Paul Kevin Curtis was arrested last Wednesday and charged with sending letters that tested positive for the lethal poison ricin. But charges were dropped on Tuesday after no evidence of ricin was found at his home.

Speaking to Piers Morgan on CNN on Tuesday, Curtis said he did not even know what ricin was.

"I heard the word ricin for the first time in my life from a federal agent in homeland security while being interrogated for four hours in a federal building in Oxford [Mississippi]," Curtis told CNN. "And I thought he said 'rice'. I said: 'I don't even eat rice usually. I'm not even a rice lover.'"

Federal agents searched Curtis' vehicle and home in Corinth, Mississippi, on Friday but found no evidence of ricin or ingredients related to the production of the poison. The charges were dropped after prosecutors found "new information" in the investigation.

"It's like a train has been lifted off my shoulders," Curtis said. "I'm overwhelmed. I'm extremely happy to be vindicated and out and able to see my kids."

Curtis and his lawyer Christi McCoy suspect that Curtis is being framed by a man he has had a feud with for "several years." The man, martial arts instructor J Everett Dutschke of Tupelo, Mississippi, denied having involvement with the letters.

Curtis told CNN he doesn't know what the feud is about or why Dutschke does not like him. Curtis was also unsure if the feud was related to music or martial arts.

Federal authorities searched Dutschke's home on Tuesday. He told the Associated Press: "I don't have any grudges against anybody."

Federal agent Brandon Grant said in testimony on Monday that the envelopes and stamps sent to Barack Obama, senator Roger Wicker and Lee County judge Sadie Holland had no fingerprints. Also, the envelopes and stamps were self-adhesive so they would not contain DNA evidence.

Wicker told reporters on Thursday that he had once hired and met Curtis as an Elvis impersonator at a party he helped organize with his wife. "He was quite entertaining," Wicker said.

Authorities suspected Curtis was responsible for the letters because of online postings he had made indicating he distrusts the government. He had also sent letters to the office of Wicker and other officials in the past. Some of these letters mentioned a novel he was writing about black-market body parts, Missing Pieces.

"I can't help but think now how many people are thrown in jail because of circumstantial evidence and somebody can frame you that easily," Curtis said.

He told Morgan that he has a high profile because of his political activism and career as an entertainer. "I'm sort of an up-and-in-your-face guy, but I'm quiet and reserved on one hand and an entertainer on the other hand," Curtis said.

Morgan said the interview "may just be the weirdest of my life".