LAKELAND, Fla. – A Florida man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for putting deadly plumber's lye into the sauce at a restaurant where he worked.
The Ledger reported Wednesday that 54-year-old Margarito Padilla pleaded no contest to introducing a chemical into a food or drink, as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Lakeland police say Padilla was arrested last June after the owner of Hibachi Express watched surveillance video that showed Padilla access a container of poisonous drain cleaner and then head to the area where the Yum Yum Sauce was kept. The owner had checked the video after tasting the sauce during a routine inspection and immediately feeling his mouth burn.
Padilla eventually acknowledged tainting the sauce because he was unhappy about working conditions.