A Lake County school custodian has been charged with poisoning a coworker.
- School custodian at Tavares High charged with poisoning coworker
- Woman reported to deputies that she fell ill after drinking soda
The female victim, who is also a custodian at Tavares High School, reported to deputies that after cleaning Monday, she returned to her office and took a drink of soda. She then had difficulty breathing.
The woman told a school resource deputy that she thought she'd been poisoned. She was taken to Florida Hospital Waterman, and the investigation was turned over to the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Deputies said surveillance video shows that Russell Terrance Smith and another custodian were the only ones who had access to the woman's office.
Smith was arrested Friday and faces a charge of poisoning of food or water, a first-degree felony.
This is an ongoing investigation.