BARTOW, Fla. – A Central Florida mail carrier was arrested on attempted murder charges after she tried to poison her husband's tuna fish sandwich, according to deputies.
Beth Dickison Richards, 37, of Lake Wales, was arrested Friday on charges of attempted first-degree murder, poisoning food with the intent to kill, possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to Richards' home Thursday night in connection with a poisoning case. Deputies said they met with Richards' husband, Gregory Lawrence Richards, and her step-sister, Jessica Jarvis.
Jarvis said Beth Richards told her earlier in the day that she tried to poison and kill Gregory Richards by crushing up multiple Trazodone pills and placing them in a tuna fish sandwich.
Jarvis said she she immediately contacted Gregory Richards' family to verify his well-being, according to deputies.
Gregory Richards told deputies he had eaten part of the sandwich earlier in the day and felt nauseous. He was taken to Lake Wales Medical Center, where he was treated for nausea and dizziness.
According to the National Institutes of Health, Trazodone is used to treat depression and increases the amount of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental balance.
When detectives confronted Beth Richards about the incident, she admitted that she attempted to poison her husband by crushing up the pills and putting them in a tuna fish sandwich. A motive for the incident was not released by deputies.
During the investigation, a pouch containing cannabis was discovered in Beth Richards' bedroom, deputies said.
Richards told detectives she is employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier.
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