School Therapist Faces Attempted Murder Charge After Allegedly Spiking Husband's Energy Drink By Christine Pelisek

A North Carolina school employee is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly spiking her husband’s energy drink.

Cheryl Harris Gates, 42, was arrested Friday, Oct. 10 and is also facing charges of stalking, damage to property and contaminating food or drink to render one mentally incapacitated or physically helpless.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE, Gates, who is employed with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as an occupational therapist, allegedly spiked her husband’s Celsius energy drink with “prescription medications with the intention of causing a black out condition or incapacitation.”

Per an officer affidavit for obtaining a warrant, Gates allegedly used ChatGPT between July 8 and Sept. 29 to “investigate lethal and incapacitating prescription drug combinations and the effects of oleander, ricin, and fox glove poisoning.”   

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The victim allegedly provided “evidence of his incapacitation and a foreign controlled substance in his beverage” on July 12 and August 18, per the affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

Authorities said syringes, a capsule filling kit, medical droppers, scales and medications were found in her workspace at her home and collected as evidence.

According to the affidavit, the two were not living together.

“It’s definitely surprising that somebody in that capacity that is there to help others would do something, that type of crime, especially,” parent Quemella Holland told WSOC-TV.

“She never should have been around kids at all,” parent Laurie Leebrick said, per WSOC-TV. “They should have done better background checks.”