Rock Hill police arrested a South Carolina woman Thursday after video showed her pouring degreaser into a coworker’s iced tea before the victim drank it and became ill, according to police and court documents.
Tina Michelle Burch, 57, of York, is charged with illegal tampering with drugs or food, according to an arrest warrant obtained by The Herald.
Burch and the victim worked together at a business on Galleria Boulevard, according to a police incident report. The name of the company and the identity of the victim have not been released by police.
Officers say surveillance video from the workplace shows Burch pouring the cleaning solution into the victim’s bottle of iced tea after the victim walked away from her post around 12:45 a.m. Thursday. Burch then put the cap back on the tea bottle, police said.
According to the warrant and police report, the victim returned, had a drink, vomited and had a numb face before needing medical treatment.
Police spoke to the victim at a medical facility after the incident, but her condition was not released. Authorities have not disclosed what might have prompted the incident.
According to Rock Hill Police Capt. Brent Allmon’s report, the tea bottle was seized as evidence.
Burch was arrested at work Thursday but denied involvement, according to the police report. It remains unclear whether she has an attorney.
The charges against Burch carry up to 20 years in prison for a conviction, according to South Carolina law. According to the York County Sheriff’s Office jail website, Burch remained in the York County Jail on Friday under a $35,000 bond.
