A Nashville woman was arrested after being accused of trying to poison her college roommate.
Tierni Williams was charged with adulteration of food, liquid or pharmaceuticals, bodily injury, which is a felony.
An affidavit stated the victim described having health issues over the course of several weeks, including weight loss, appetite suppression and diarrhea. She was unable to determine what was causing the problems.
She learned through Snap Chat that her roommate, Williams, had been tampering with her water bottles in their dorm room at Tennessee State University, which caused her illness. Video showed Williams getting water from a toilet in a styrofoam cup and pouring the liquid into the victim's water bottles that she kept on her side of the room.
"The toilet water would possibly cause the sort of infection that might cause a diarrhea illness," said Dr. William Schaffner, Infectious Disease Director at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Williams can be heard in the video saying her roommate is going to get sick from this, and laughing while she transfers the liquid.
"The water that goes into the toilet is municipal water and is very clean, but the flush doesn't remove absolutely everything and there could be residual bacteria or viruses left in the bowl of the toilet," Dr. Schaffner said.
Dr. Schaffner also stated, "I would think it's more yucky than seriously harmful."
Williams was booked in jail Tuesday afternoon on a $7,500 bond. No court date has been set.
Representatives with TSU released the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
"Due to federal and state student privacy laws, we cannot comment on the specific matter involving Tennessee State University student Tierni Williams. In general, students who engage in conduct that may violate criminal laws and implicate the University’s Student Conduct Code will be subject to the University’s student disciplinary process, including sanctions ranging from immediate “interim suspension” to expulsion from the University."
