PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Albany woman is facing charges after she allegedly mixed meth into bean dip eaten by a coworker.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said 38-year-old Cassandra Medina-Hernandez was working at the deli at Jefferson Thriftway on Old Pacific Highway in Jefferson on Sept. 9 when she allegedly put meth into a serving of bean dip.
Another coworker went to the deli to get some food for her lunch break, according to probable cause documents. She said Medina-Hernandez let her try the dip she was making.
The victim like it so much that she took some home to eat during her break. She told investigators she thought a bite of the dip tasted funny but she didn’t think much of it.
She started to feel sick and unsteady when she went back to work a short while later. She was taken to a hospital where tests suggested she had meth in her system.
During the investigation, another Thriftway employee told deputies Medina-Hernandez admitted to putting meth in the bean dip. Deputies believe at least one other employee ate the dip from the same dish suspected of being contaminated.
Investigators don’t think any customers were exposed to the dip.
Shoppers at the Thriftway were shocked to hear about the allegations.
“I think it’s really unusual, I really do, I’ve never heard of such a thing,” shopper Georgia Waterbury told KOIN 6 News.
The store’s owners, meanwhile, said Medina-Hernandez has been a reliable employee since she started working there in July. They said Medina-Hernandez denies the accusations. She’s been suspended pending the investigation.
Medina-Hernandez was arrested Wednesday at the Linn County Parole and Probation Office in Albany. She made her first court appearance on Thursday. She’s facing charges of unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, recklessly endangering another person and causing another person to ingest a controlled substance.
Her bail is set at $500,000.
She’s due back in court on Oct. 3.
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