LEBANON, Missouri – A 47-year-old woman from Lebanon, Missouri is facing serious charges after being accused of contaminating her husband’s Mountain Dew soda with weed killer. Michelle Y. Peters was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action, according to local authorities.
The investigation began on June 24 when the husband reported to the Laclede County Sheriff’s Office, suspecting that his wife was trying to poison him. He had been the sole consumer of Mountain Dew in their household and had noticed an unusual taste in the beverage since May 1. He fell ill shortly after drinking it but initially dismissed the odd flavor. However, after a few weeks, he experienced symptoms such as a sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, and coughing up a thick brown/yellow mucus.
Upon reviewing footage from a camera installed in their garage, the husband claimed the video showed Peters removing a two-liter bottle of Diet Mountain Dew from the refrigerator and bringing it into the house along with a bottle of Roundup weed killer. He stated that she then returned the soda to the refrigerator and placed the Roundup back on the garage shelf.
Concerned for his safety, the husband handed over a copy of the video recording and a bottle of Mountain Dew from the garage refrigerator to another person, as evidence in case he succumbed to poisoning. He also started changing his routine by placing new, untouched Mountain Dew bottles in the refrigerator. Each time he did this, he alleged that Peters would contaminate them with Roundup. He also noticed that the original Roundup bottle was nearly empty while a new, unopened bottle had recently appeared on the garage shelf.
When confronted about his illness, Peters allegedly suggested that he may have contracted COVID-19 and advised him to avoid contact with their grandchildren. However, the husband claimed to have recorded Peters adding insecticide to his Mountain Dew bottle on June 24. He speculated that Peters might be having an affair or seeking the payout from his $500,000 life insurance policy.
Initially denying the allegations, Peters later confessed when faced with the video evidence and the bottles her husband had collected. She admitted to adding insecticide to the Mountain Dew bottle out of anger for her husband’s lack of appreciation for the 50th birthday party she had thrown for him. She also confessed to adding Roundup to his soda out of spite. Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, can cause severe organ damage and even death if ingested, according to the National Pesticide Information Center.
Peters is currently being held without bond at the Laclede County Detention Center and is scheduled to appear in court on July 2.