A man has been accused of spiking his co-worker’s drink with superglue while working at Wisconsin State Fair Park.
In a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE from the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office from Friday, March 28, Joseph Ross had “placed a substance in liquid edibles with the intent to cause bodily harm to another person,” on March 20.
Highlights
- A woman used a hidden camera to catch her coworker spiking her drink with superglue.
- Joseph Ross admitted to to the offense, and police found glue and gloves in his desk area.
- If convicted, Ross could face a $10,000 fine or up to 3.5 years in prison.
It details that the victim, who goes by the name JH, first reported the alleged incident to the police during a foot patrol at Wisconsin State Fair Park Exhibition Center that same day.
Joseph Ross was accused of spiking his colleague's drink
Image credits: 620 WTMJ (Not the actual photo)
“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,” read the quote acquired by the outlet.
She first began growing suspicion of contamination when she noticed a “strong chemical smell and taste,” saying that the consumption of the beverage caused her to become ill, according to the complaint, which read that the victim had not previously consented to anyone putting anything in her drink.
Image credits: Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office
When JH first became aware that someone may be spiking her beverage, she set up a “surveillance camera” hidden below her laptop monitor, in hopes of catching the culprit red-handed.
And indeed, it did exactly that.
The complaint read that JH’s camera saw Ross, who also shares an office with her, put a foreign substance into her drink at around 9:52am.
It could be seen in the clip that the man was allegedly squeezing some sort of liquid substance from a small tube that contained a white nozzle into a Coca Cola can while he wore latex gloves. Reportedly, he then exited the office accordingly.
He was seen on camera putting a foreign substance in her Coke drink
Image credits: Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office
Image credits: Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office
This was the sufficient evidence needed for officers to start their investigation.
Just hours later at 5:20pm on March 20, Ross admitted to putting a supplement in his colleague’s Coke bottle, in an interview with Lt. Rehbein.
And fair enough, as authorities searched Ross’s office for the latex gloves and substance container that were caught on video, they were able to find both — the former being wrapped around a blue plastic cap while the latter turned out to be a Gorilla Super Glue container that was “waddled into a ball.”
It was reported that both the victim and the defendant share an office together
Image credits: Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office
He was then subsequently placed under arrest and taken to the Criminal Justice Facility for processing.
If Ross is convicted for this Class I Felony offense, the defendant may be fined up to $10,000 and/or be sentenced to up to three years and six months in prison.
A spokesperson from Wisconsin State Fair Park told PEOPLE that those involved in the incident “were employed by a vendor and were not State Fair employees, therefore, we cannot comment on employment status.”
Image credits: WISN 12
Image credits: WISN 12
They continued, “However, since this incident occurred while at State Fair Park, our police department responded, conducted a thorough investigation, and submitted the report to the District Attorney.
“Additionally, our police department has issued a ‘No Trespass Order’ to the individual being charged.”
To conclude, they said, “While this incident did not happen between State Fair Park employees and did not involve any patrons, we want to reiterate that safety is top priority at State Fair Park, and we take these matters very seriously.”
When the complaint was first made public, many netizens expressed their outrage at the “cruelty” and indecency shown by Ross.
Authorities found latex gloves and a SuperGlue container in Ross's area
Image credits: Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office
“This guy is really weird!” one person labeled. “Especially for what he did! Let him be put in prison! Looks like he’s on Superglue!”
“To what gain,” a third questioned. “This is real cruelty.”
“That’s horrible,” someone chimed in.
One user wrote, “How do people come up with something so evil!”
"He don't look right" read a comment
