The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A 17-year-old boy may be facing a sentence of over a decade-and-a-half after being accused of putting drugs in energy drinks that caused his stepfather to fall ill after consumption.
A Beloit, Wisconsin, dairy farmer visited a local hospital at the end of January 2018 where he reported that he was feeling ill and experiencing several ailments including a drooping face, and loss or impairment to some of his basic motor skills.
The man’s test results caused the medical professionals to conclude that he needed to control his stress level, get some rest, and cut back on the energy drinks.
He began to feel better, and the man, who is the stepdad to a teenager, did not have any further health problems for about 3 months.
On April Fools’ Day in 2018, the man said that he started to feel the same way that he felt when he went to the hospital back in January, so he began to moderate how many energy drinks he allowed himself to enjoy.
During the same timeframe, the man also reported that he had suspicions that his stepson had been pulling pranks on him while he was asleep, such as covering him with a lot of blankets or touching his toes. This reportedly led to the assumption that the teen may also be the culprit of the man becoming randomly sick from tampering with his beverages, so he no longer left them unattended and he started to feel normal again.
The authorities were then notified and the alleged victim gave them a sample of the drink powders and a bottle that he said tasted off, in addition to two syringes that he had found in an obscure place inside of the barn.
As stated in the criminal complaint, the items tested positive for Xylazine, a sedative commonly used on cattle and other livestock.
A deputy went to have a talk with the man’s stepson, Tyler Rabenhorst-Malone, regarding the allegations and reported that the teenager gave a statement and allegedly copped to putting the medicine in his stepdad’s drinks, but allegedly said that he “would never want to hurt his “dad,”” and he was only trying to be funny.
Rabenhorst-Malone will make an appearance in court on charges of felony placing foreign objects in edibles, and felony recklessly endangering safety on March 18, and if he is tried and convicted on the charges he could face over 13 years in prison and/or be ordered to pay up to $35,000 in fines.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.