TONAWANDA, N.Y. — A man in New York spiked his family’s food and coffee with Epsom salts, magnesium sulfate and laxatives, police said.
Andrew Ditch, 34, of Tonawanda, started adding the substances into the reservoir of his family's coffee maker on Oct. 20, WIVB reported.
Soon after, family members suffered from abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea, so they called police to investigate.
"It's one of those bizarre things," Towanda police Capt. Frederic Foels told the Buffalo News. "The family came to us and they were having all these episodes after they ate, or had coffee, and they thought he was spiking the food. Detectives did their investigation. They followed evidence of the Epsom salts and the magnesium and the laxatives, which led to this Andrew Ditch doing these things."
Ditch was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted assault, aggravated criminal contempt - violating an order of protection, criminal tampering and disobeying an order of protection, WIVB reported.
It’s not the first time police have had to intervene in a matter with the family.
An order of protection was in place that allowed Ditch to live quietly at the home.
"He could live there," Foels told the Buffalo News. "He just couldn't cause any outbursts or anything."
Ditch is in jail on $5,000 bail.
Cox Media Group
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