A former Texas elections administrator is accused of giving her employees colon cleanse and getting them to drink it under the guise that it was an energy drink.
Denise Hernandez, who worked for Smith County, pleaded guilty March 9 to two counts of assault causing bodily injury stemming from the incident. She was arrested on June 1 after employees reported her actions to police, according to CBS19. .
Employees supervised by Hernandez told police that on April 27, 2021, Hernandez, their supervisor, offered them a cup of pink liquid, which she told them was a Spark energy drink, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by McClatchy News.
The employees each said they’d had the Spark drink before, and drank the liquid, the affidavit said. Hernandez left, and when she returned asked the employees if they’d finished their drinks before beginning to taunt them.
“(Hernandez) then placed a canister of colon cleanse on the counter and started making fun of them for drinking the colon cleanse … and singing ‘You just drank colon cleanser’ in a childish manner,” the affidavit said.
F.R. Files, Jr., the defense attorney for Hernandez, could not be reached for comment by McClatchy News.
Colon cleanses are primarily used as prep for colonoscopies to empty out bowels, and “can sometimes be harmful” when used in other instances, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The employees felt stomach pain due to the cleanse, were concerned about it due to prior medical conditions and felt embarrassed, according to the affidavit.
“The act caused the pre-existing conditions of each victim to be amplified and caused them pain,” investigators said in the affidavit.
One employee who drank the colon cleanse said she was “afraid to say anything because (Hernandez) was a bully and she did not want to lose her job.”
Another employee who drank the cleanse said Hernandez frequently made fun of them and would “poke her breast,” according to the affidavit.
Other employees who overheard Hernandez talk about spiking the drinks with the cleanse told investigators that they would also describe her as a bully, the affidavit said.
Hernandez was sentenced to 18 months probation and 80 hours of community service.
According to CBS19, Hernandez no longer works as an elections administrator.
Smith County is in East Texas, about 135 miles southeast of Fort Worth.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 5:43 PM.
