Office food theft should be a criminal offense, especially when the culprit is a repeat offender. But we all know that the police have a lot more important matters to deal with, and often, so does HR. When someone kept drinking his iced sweet tea at work, one man decided it was time to play dirty in order to teach the thief a lesson.
He headed over to his local pharmacy and asked for the strongest laxative they had. The concerned chemist advised against it but offered the man something way more effective instead. The man wasn't too surprised when he received a call from the coworker's worried wife the next day.
Revenge is sometimes a dish best served 'spiked' when dealing with the office food thief
Image credits: Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
When his coworker wouldn't stop stealing his tea, this man roped in the local chemist to help teach the thief a lesson
Image credits: beyza yurtkuran / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Peter Terry / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: NateNate60
‘Spiking’ your own food to teach someone else a lesson can land you in serious legal trouble, and here’s why
You might think that because it’s your food or drink, you can put whatever you want in it. Laxatives, hot sauce, the works. But according to legal experts, doing so could land you in big trouble.
“People are quick to assume that because it’s your lunch it would not count as spiking someone’s food, however what matters is your intent,” warns the Arizona-based Coolidge Law Firm. “If you intend for Midge to eat it, it is the same as putting it into her lunchbox.”
The firm's lawyers add that when it comes to putting laxatives into someone’s food or drink, it is a serious crime. They say that if you’re planning a prank or a payback like this, you should ask yourself two questions. The first is, "Could it hurt someone?" and the second is "Could it harm someone’s property?"
"If the answer to either question is yes, then you could end up facing charges," they caution. "Even if you think it’s funny, you never know how someone else might react. Anger and violence are certainly possible, but a prank that involves a drug could have very serious consequences. Things like allergies or dehydration from vomiting or diarrhea could have deadly results for some people."
The legal experts explain that you could be breaking several laws by putting laxatives in someone’s food without their knowledge. "First of all, you could be charged with poisoning. Adding a harmful substance to someone else’s food, drink, or medicine is a crime," they say. "Even if a laxative might not seem harmful to you, it is potentially dangerous to others."
You could also face assault charges for intentionally causing injury to another person, especially if they were hospitalized. And if the victim of your prank doesn't make it out of the hospital, you could be charged with negligent homicide or even manslaughter.
The Coolidge legal team adds that depending on the circumstances, there is even a provision against using food as a hazing technique to humiliate, injure, or cause someone emotional damage. "With assault and hazing charges, you could be looking at a class 1 misdemeanor if the prank victim walks away from the situation with only their ego bruised," they reveal. "That is a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail and a maximum fine of $2,500."
Meanwhile, poisoning, negligent homicide, and manslaughter are all felonies with sentences ranging from 3 months to 35 years in prison, along with fees and fines.
Now ask yourself, is your sandwich or iced sweet tea really worth it?
Many people felt the thief got what he deserved
