4 days ago
Woman tastes 'strong chemical' in Coke sets up trap to find guilty co-worker
Joseph Ross, 35, was arrested in March when a fellow employee contacted police after suspecting her drinks were contaminated by a chemical substance and catching him red-handed
A woman who fell ill after detecting a "strong chemical taste " in her soft drink was left horrified to discover her colleague had spiked her drink with super glue.
Joseph Ross, 35, was arrested in March when a fellow employee contacted police after suspecting her drinks were contaminated by a chemical substance. She told officers there was a "strong chemical smell and taste" in her drinks, and she started to become unwell.
"During the conversation, JH (the co-worker) told the Officers that approximately 2 to 3 weeks ago, JH suspected that her beverages on her desk had been contaminated by a chemical substance," the affidavit states. It comes after a man has been arrested after he 'tried to put a chemical-laced handkerchief' over the face of teenage boy.
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"JH was made aware of the contamination due to the strong chemical smell and taste. JH stated that upon consumption of those beverages, she became ill. Moreover, JH did not consent to anyone placing anything in her drink."
The co-worker set up a CCTV camera at her desk in Milwaukee, US, that morning to try and find if anyone was tampering with her drink. At around 9.50am that morning, she captured Russ putting a "foreign substance" into her drink.
"At approximately 9:52 a.m., JH's camera captured JH's co-worker, whom JH shares an office with, Joseph R. Ross, hereinafter the Defendant, put a foreign substance into JH's soft drink," police wrote. "JH shared the video footage with the Officers."
The alarming CCTV showed Ross holding a brown and orange tube with a white nozzle and putting a "liquid substance" into the victim's open can of Coke on her desk. Ross could also be seen wearing latex gloves on both hands, which he later discarded.
During the police investigation, Ross admitted to "placing a supplement" in his co-worker's drink. A search warrant was issued for his office and the surrounding area, which led to police recovering a "set of clear protective gloves."
"When the Officers unravelled the gloves, they found that each contained an item," police wrote. "One glove contained a blue plastic cap. The other glove contained a super glue container."
Police said the recovered container was "Gorilla Brand Super Glue," which they noted had a warning on the label that read, "Keep out of the reach of children" due to the harm of ingestion.
The co-worker's can of Coke was collected and sent to a lab for testing. Ross, who pleaded guilty, is facing up to 4 years in prison and a fine of £4,000 when he is sentenced on October 9.
