A teenager put mouse poison into his family’s food for five weeks before his stepfather discovered the pellets in some coffee grounds, according to a criminal complaint.
The 15-year-old was charged with three counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. A judge set bail at $25,000 cash Wednesday.
The boy’s mother, stepfather and the couple’s 3-year-old daughter had experienced stomach pains, heartburn and vomiting, the complaint said.
When interviewed by police at school, the teen said he put poison in juice, milk, spaghetti, coffee and meat, according to the complaint. The boy told investigators that he did not want to kill his family, but wanted to make them sick because he was mad at them.
Assistant District Attorney Steven Sarbacker said the boy was unhappy with his living situation.
The boy’s stepfather and mother said he had threatened them before and that he “sleeps on a mattress in the walk-in closet off the master bedroom so they can ’watch him,”’ according to the complaint.
The family was expected to fully recover, Sarbacker said.