Man Arrested for Girlfriend's Visine Poisoning

Visine is meant to "get the red out" of dry, itchy eyes. But a California man is accused of using Visine to poison his girlfriend.

A chemical in Visine can make a person ill if it's ingested in large enough doses. That's what happened to Shayne Carpenter's girlfriend after he allegedly snuck a few drops of Visine into her drink during a fight.

Carpenter, 27, was booked on domestic violence charges as well as poisoning, reports UPI. Aside from his girlfriend's illness, prosecutors will likely also be using Carpenter's own words against him.

"He was making texts to his buddies that if 'She's going to be talking crap then she's going to be crapping,'" a sheriff's lieutenant told Sacramento's KXTV.

Carpenter's girlfriend called investigators after discovering the text messages. Then, in a phone call that investigators monitored, Carpenter allegedly admitted that he'd poisoned her.

Domestic violence is a charge related to assault and battery. The crime of battery is committed when a person acts in a manner to cause severe injury to another.

In California, if the victim and the abuser are in an intimate relationship or have previously been in one, the crime can be considered domestic violence. The same goes if the two are closely related by blood or marriage.

In the case of domestic violence, it's not uncommon for authorities to bring additional charges of assault and battery.

While the crime of battery requires actual physical touching, the crime of assault doesn't require physical touching. It just requires an attempt to inflict harm and the threat of imminent harm.

So in some cases, even uttering threats to someone can constitute the crime of assault. So can poisoning someone's drink with eye drops and hoping that person would "crap."

Carpenter's girlfriend was treated at a hospital, and has recovered from her Visine poisoning. Shayne Carpenter was released from jail after posting $25,000 bail.

Related Resources:

• Man Arrested After Alleged Visine Poisoning (ABC News)
• Mom 'Wanted Affection' So She Poisoned Baby's Dad with Visine Drops (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
• The 5 Strangest Ways to Attack Your Spouse (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
• Spurned Wife Loses Appeal for Poisoning Pregnant Mistress (FindLaw's U.S. Third Circuit Blog)