February 20, 1999
Still on Pins and Needles
News wires are reporting that more copycat incidents involving hypodermic needles secreted in public places have been uncovered in the Virginias. Following on the heels of earlier occurrences in Pulaski and Speedwell, hidden needles were reportedly found in pay phones and mailboxes in Grayson and Wythe Counties in Southwest Virginia. A K-Mart employee also found a syringe in a jar of Newman's Own Pasta Sauce in nearby Bluefield, West Virginia.
All the incidents are thought to be copycat pranks based on the well-known needles-in-coin-slots rumor circulating on the Internet since 1998.
It bears noting that during the week prior to the first reported incident in Pulaski, area newspaper The Roanoke Times ran a story by columnist Joe Kennedy roundly debunking the rumor.
Apparently, someone is out to prove him wrong.
