Caregiver accused of trying to kill couple with rat poison-laced cigarettes
WEST CHILLISQUAQUE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Pennsylvania woman is accused of stealing from an elderly couple and then trying to kill the pair with rat poison.
According to state police, Tina Young, 37, of Montandon, was serving as an “in-home health assistant” for 80-year-old Albert Mench.
Troopers say Young forged a check for $2,500 from Mench and his wife, and when Mench’s wife confronted her, Young allegedly laced their cigarettes with rat poison.
Police say Young was afraid of being fired and wanted to inherit the couple’s money if they died.
One of Young’s neighbors wasn’t entirely surprised by the accusations.
“I’m not shocked, really. I’m not shocked that she would go behind somebody’s back and try to get over on them. I’m not surprised at all,” Peggy Reynolds, of Montandon, told WNEP. “That actually makes me kind of scared that I was her neighbor this long and I’ve had this many problems with her, like I can’t believe she didn’t try to kill me.”
It’s not yet clear if the couple were sickened by the alleged attempted poisoning.
Young is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment.
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