Michigan man is charged with repeatedly poisoning his co-worker’s water bottle with antifreeze after she ‘caught him in the act with a spy camera’
- Johnny Castellanos, 48, charged with poisoning food, drink, medicine or water supply
- Accused of pouring anti-freezing into his co-worker’s water bottle at a plant in Sparta, Michigan
- Victim told police she because suspicious after noticing her water tasted strange, and she installed spy camera at work
- Police say video shows Castellanos adding green liquid to co-worker’s bottle while acting in ‘a surreptitious manner’
- Castellanos claimed he thought he was adding vitamin C drops to his own water bottle
- Two of victim’s water bottles tested positive, for ethylene glycol, a toxic substance used in anti-freeze
Johnny Castellanos, 48, has been charged with poisoning food, drink, medicine or water supply for allegedly spiking his co-worker’s water bottle with anti-freeze
A Michigan man has been arrested after police say he was caught on a hidden camera poisoning his co-worker’s water bottle with anti-freeze.
Johnny Castellanos, 48, was booked into the Kent County jail on Thursday on a felony charge of poisoning food, drink, medicine or water supply.
According to a probable cause statement, Castellanos and the victim worked together at Packaging Personified in Sparta.
The female victim, who was not named, told police that Castellanos had repeatedly poured an unknown liquid into her water bottle.
The woman told police in late March that she first became suspicious several months ago after noticing that the water she kept in a bottle at work ‘would go from tasting normal, to having a strange taste during her shift.’
‘Every time she tasted it, she would stop drinking it,’ Sparta police officer David Price said.
Determined to get to the bottom of this, the woman purchased a spy camera and installed it in her work area.
Before long, the hidden recording device allegedly caught Castellanos in the act of spiking his co-worker’s water bottle with a green liquid.
Castellanos and the victim both worked at Packaging Personified in Sparta, Michigan
‘He shakes the bottle and leaves the area,’ the probable cause document states, describing the video recording. ‘The video review shows the actions done in a surreptitious manner.’
After watching the video, the woman reported Castellanos to her supervisor and he was promptly fired.
On March 28, the woman went to the police with her recording, and an investigation was launched.
Four days later, Castellanos turned himself in to the police. During an interview an investigator, he claimed to have put vitamin C drops into his co-worker’s water bottle after mistaking it for his own.
Police sent two of the victim’s water bottles to a state laboratory, and both were found to contain ethylene glycol, a toxic substance used in anti-freeze.
The victim told police she because suspicious after noticing that her water tasted strange, and so she installed a spy camera at work that allegedly caught Castellanos pouring a green liquid into her bottle (stock photo)
It is unclear how much of the contaminated water the victim has consumed, but she was said to be unharmed.
Officer Price told DailyMail.com on Tuesday police have yet to determine a concrete motive.
‘We are just assuming some type of animosity between co-workers,’ he said.
Castellanos was arraigned on Friday and was later released on bond. He is due back in court on April 23.
If convicted as charge, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
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