The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A New Jersey woman is facing criminal charges after being accused of spiking someone’s drink during a scheduled meeting at a restaurant.
On October 15, specialized detectives took a fifty-two-year-old woman into custody outside a home in Hackensack. One day before the arrest, the county authorities officially filed a criminal charge against her. The suspect is facing one count of third-degree aggravated assault. She was taken to the Bergen County Jail, where she was held without bond.
The assault charge involves an incident that took place at an eatery located in Fort Lee. According to reports, on September 8, the suspect met with an acquaintance at the dining establishment. The meeting was arranged because the alleged victim discovered unauthorized banking activity inside her personal financial accounts. Investigators said the suspect had shared access to the accounts.
When the victim walked into the business, the suspect was already sitting at a table with a hot cup of tea waiting for her. The victim took a few sips of the beverage but stopped drinking it because she noticed a strange taste. Reports stated that she completely blacked out while attempting to leave the restaurant.
The alleged victim eventually woke up inside a hospital room and reported that she had no memory of how she got there. She required medical care and stayed at the hospital for several days to recover.
The local police first learned about the situation on September 11, when they got an emergency call regarding the alleged victim being hospitalized. Because a poisoning was suspected, the county prosecutor’s Major Crimes Unit and Robbery-Homicide Division joined the case. Testing later revealed that a benzodiazepine had been added to the tea, and it was asserted that the suspect put the substance in the drink.
If you or someone you love is suspected of an assault or battery offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.