SANTA ANA (CNS) - A 38-year-old San Andreas man is facing charges of poisoning eight homeless people in Huntington Beach, authorities said today.
William Robert Cable is charged with eight counts of poisoning and one count of inflicting injury on an elderly person, all felonies, and eight counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, all misdemeanors.
Cable is accused of videotaping the transients to get their reactions as they ate food laced with oleoresin capsicum, which prosecutors alleged is twice as strong as pepper spray.
The victims suffered ``seizure-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, vomiting'' as well as intense pain in the mouth and stomach, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Cable, who was arrested May 22, could face up to 19 years and three months in prison if convicted at trial.
Some of the victims were allegedly told they were involved in a “spicy food challenge'' before they were fed the tainted food, prosecutors said.
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