Jerome Ellis. (Mugshot: Volusia County Sheriff's Office)
A man is going to prison for four years all because he carried a grudge against a co-worker and poured bleach into the victim's Pepsi. Jerome Ellis, 49, pleaded no contest in April to poisoning of food or water, and he was sentenced on Thursday.
According to charging documents, deputies in Volusia County, Florida, were dispatched on the night of Oct 24., 2022, regarding a possible poisoning.
The victim said he and his co-worker, Jerome Ellis, argued the day before on Oct. 23. He believed that Ellis carried a grudge against him because of this argument. The victim was drinking a Pepsi from his lunch. He put it down behind the counter above the safe, went to the restroom, and returned. He drank the Pepsi, but it turned out to have been poisoned, he said in documents. He "believed the Pepsi had bleach or cleaning supplies poured into it by the taste and smell it projected," the affidavit stated.
He panicked, called 911, told his manager, and placed the drink in the back room for safekeeping until first responders arrived, according to documents.
The co-worker suspected Ellis tampered with his drink, so he checked surveillance footage. The video proved it.
The victim "explained that the video surveillance shows Jerome pour bleach into the Pepsi can while [the co-worker] was in the bathroom," documents said.
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