A rural Wayne County man has been arrested on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder after allegedly poisoning his wife.
Alfred Ruf, 69, has been lodged in Wayne County Jail on the Level 2 felony charge.
Ruf’s arrest was announced Friday by Sheriff Randy Retter.
Wayne Circuit Court Judge April Drake issued a probable cause order on Jan. 5 for the felony charge and set Ruf’s bail at $75,000 with 10 percent cash authorized.
His arrest came about a few days after a request for a welfare check on the morning of Jan. 3.
Ruf’s home in the 2500 block of East Wallace Road is on Richmond’s far north side. It is northeast of U.S. 27 near Arba Pike.
Officers from Wayne County Sheriff’s Office learned that Lisa Bishop, 51, believed she was being poisoned by her husband, according to Retter.
During the initial investigation, Ruf admitted to giving Bishop an unknown substance knowing it would eventually kill her, Retter said.
Bishop was hospitalized several times in 2021, and Retter said those illnesses are believed to have resulted from the poisoning.
Samples of the unknown substance were collected and are being examined, Retter said.
The sheriff noted that two other persons of interest are being sought in the continuing investigation.
Indiana State Police, Wayne County Emergency Operations Center, Reid Health EMS, Reid Health and Richmond Police Department assisted with the investigation.
A no-contact order motion for Ruf and a pretrial release assessment were filed on Jan. 6, court records show.
An initial hearing in the case is planned for Jan. 12.