A Florida man who allegedly had a beef with his nephew is accused of pouring eye drop solution onto his meatball sandwich, WFLA-TV reports. Now that uncle has been charged with felony poisoning.
On Wednesday, police arrested 45-year-old James Paul Leach of Pinellas Park in connection with the allegations.
Investigators described in court records how Leach “had issues with his nephew” and “hated him” that day, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Leach is accused of procuring a bottle of eye drops from a market and then pouring the solution “all over the meatball sandwich,” an act that was allegedly recorded by security cameras, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun.
A witness told Leach that the eye drops “could hurt someone,” to which Leach allegedly responded that the nephew would just “s**t himself and puke his brains out,” the Times reports. The National Capital Poison Control Center says eye drops can cause death if swallowed.
After the nephew ate a small portion of the sandwich, police and medics were called but the nephew declined medical attention. The nephew told officers he did not know the food had been poisoned.
“The victim and defendant have a long history of domestic related issues and several prior calls for service at this location,” an arrest report reads, according to WFLA-TV.
Leach asked for an attorney when police attempted to question him. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $50,000 bail in the Pinellas County Jail. A judge also ordered Leach to have no contact with the nephew, whose name and age was not disclosed.
The Florida incident comes after a Wisconsin woman was convicted last month of first-degree intentional homicide for poisoning a friend by mixing Visine with the victim’s water.
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[Feature Photo: James Paul Leach/Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office]
