Former USC student Hayley King, who was caught on camera tampering with multiple containers of her roommates’ food in early 2015, has elected to enter a pre-trial intervention program rather than go to trial where she could face the maximum sentence of 20 years for the charges made against her.
In a video recorded on Feb. 4, 2015, King appeared to be spitting in several of her roommates’ food containers, as well as spraying Windex and pouring glass cleaner in the food. According to the police report filed by King’s roommates, the roommates and King had been fighting for several weeks prior to the alleged incident.
King’s roommates told police that they were afraid of what King might do when they were out of the apartment, so they decided to set up hidden cameras. The roommates also told police that they had been trying to get King to move out of the off-campus house the girls shared after the ongoing fighting, but she refused to leave.
Investigators brought King in for questioning, where she confessed to the food tampering. King was arrested and released the next day on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
In a statement sent to The Daily Gamecock and other news organizations, King’s attorney Seth Rose says that some of the facts of the story are unknown to the public.
“My client deeply regrets this incident and is grateful for the opportunity to enroll in the Pre Trial Intervention (PTI). While some have tried to mischaracterize this incident as an attempted poisoning, my client regrets her actions and never had any intention to hurt anyone,” said Rose. “There are facts of this case that were unknown to the public. That’s why we ask anyone who has been bullied to go through the proper channels and seek assistance from local authorities, rather than acting on your own.”
King began the pre-trial program in December and has 90 days to complete it. The Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office has placed the charge of Food/Unlawful, malicious tampering with human drug product or food on hold for the time being. If King successfully completes the program, she will have the opportunity to apply for the charges to be expunged from her criminal record.