Woman sacked after 'putting laxatives in brownies she baked for colleague's leaving party'
'You see it in movies or TV shows as a joke, but it's very serious - it's a criminal act,' police say
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A company employee has been sacked after she tried to get her own back on a colleague – by putting laxatives in chocolate brownies she baked for the send-off.
There may have been tension between the 47-year-old woman and her departing colleague, police said.
No one ate the brownies and the cook has not been charged, but officers in the US state of Michigan said the matter would have been different had someone consumed the chocolate treats.
Managers at the engineering firm where she worked confiscated the brownies after another staff member tipped them off.
The suspect initially denied adding laxatives, but after police told her investigators would test them for tampering, she admitted she had done so, the Ann Arbor News reported.
Saline police chief Jerrod Hart said the incident was something schoolchildren should normally be reminded of - that tampering with food is not a joke, especially as allergies and medical concerns may not be known.
"A lot of times you see it in movies or TV shows where someone tries to do this or play a joke, but it's very serious," he said. "It's a criminal act."
MMI Engineered Solutions declined to comment when approached by the website.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.