A University of South Carolina student faces felony charges and possible jail time after being caught on film spitting and pouring chemicals on her two roommate’s food in February, police allege.
The student, Hayley King, 22, can be seen on video taken by her roommates spitting into food containers and pouring Windex into others in an off campus apartment they shared according to a Columbia Police Department report.
The two roommates told authorities they had set up cameras in their apartment because they were afraid of what King might do following a string of altercations not described in the police report. Under South Carolina law, it is legal to use audio and video surveillance in ones’ own home.
Prior to filing at police report, the two roommates had tried to get King to move out because of previous incidents but she refused.
Police said they viewed the videos and saw King opening a refrigerator, picking up food containers one by one and spitting into them. They also witnessed her pour what is believed to be glass cleaner into one of them. One of the complaining roommates told police she had eaten food from a container she believed had been tainted with spit and Windex.
After viewing the video, an investigator from the Columbia Police Department contacted King and asked her to report to the police department for questioning, where she allegedly confessed to the incident, the police report states.
Authorities arrested King on Feb. 9 and charged her with unlawful, malicious tampering with human drug product or food, which is a Class C felony. If convicted, King could be sentenced to prison for up to 20 years.
Police released her after she posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bond. King’s next court date is in June according to South Carolina Circuit Court’s Fifth Circuit.