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BY KEITH EPPS
A Fredericksburg man picked up two serious felony charges Monday when he poured a bleach-based cleaner into his co-workers' drinks, police said.
Spotsylvania sheriff's spokesman Lt. Col. Michael Timm said the incident occurred about 8:30 a.m. at Denny's Restaurant in the 5300 block of Jefferson Davis Highway.
Two employees reported that their drinks tasted like they had been tainted with bleach.
The employees, a man and a woman, had left their coffee and soda at the waiter/waitress station and had taken sips at different times.
They told the manager and mentioned another employee who they believed might have been responsible, Timm said.
The manager called the Sheriff's Office, and the deputy talked with the suspect. The suspect first claimed that he must have accidentally gotten the cleaner into the drinks while he was cleaning the waiter/waitress station.
He later admitted that he never cleans that area, Timm said. The substance put in the drinks, Eco San, is a bleach-based liquid sanitizer.
Timm said police don't know why the victims' drinks were tampered with. He said there is no known history of bad blood between the suspect and the victims.
Jermaine Johnson, 29, of Fredericksburg was charged with two counts of altering a drink with the intent to harm.
The Class 3 felonies each carry maximum prison sentences of 20 years.
Johnson was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com
