A 35-year-old man pleaded guilty to putting super glue in a coworker’s soda at the Wisconsin State Fair.
Joseph R. Ross pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one felony count of putting foreign objects in food, according to court records. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on October 9.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Ross was arrested in March. According to a probable cause affidavit, officers from the Wisconsin State Fair Park Police in Milwaukee were on foot patrol around 11 a.m. on March 20 when an individual identified as “JH” approached them and asked for a private conversation.
“During the conversation, JH 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,” according to the declaration. “JH became aware of the contamination due to the strong chemical odor and taste. JH stated that she became ill after consuming these beverages. Furthermore, JH did not consent to having anything placed in her drink.”
Because of these events, JH stated that she had set up a surveillance camera at her desk earlier that morning to see if anyone was putting something in 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,” according to the police. “JH shared the video footage with the Officers.”
The video showed Ross holding a brown and orange tube with a white nozzle and pouring a “liquid substance” into JH’s open Coke can on her desk. According to police, Ross was seen wearing clear latex gloves on both hands while allegedly putting the substance into the Coke, which he later discarded.
In an interview with authorities, Ross admitted to “placing a supplement” in his coworker’s drink. Officers then carried out a search warrant at Ross’ office and the surrounding area. During the search, they reportedly found a “set of clear protective gloves” wadded into a ball.
“When the Officers unraveled the gloves, the Officers found that each contained an item,” the detectives wrote. “One glove had a blue plastic cap. The other glove held a superglue container.”
Police identified the recovered container as “Gorilla Brand Super Glue,” which had a warning label that read, “Keep out of the reach of children” due to the dangers of ingestion.
JH’s can of Coke was then collected and delivered to the Wisconsin Crime Lab for testing.
Ross faces up to three and a half years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.
