Man who spiked coffee found not guilty by insanity

Edwin Ledgard ASSOCIATED PRESS Enlarge

A Toledo man who poured a vial of animal medication into a pot of coffee at a local restaurant was found not guilty by reason of insanity Thursday after a brief trial in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

Edwin Ledgard, 36, of 111 S. Summit St. said nothing as his attorney read a stipulated statement of facts to Judge James Bates. After hearing the details of the incident and reviewing a psychological report, Judge Bates ruled Ledgard was not criminally responsible for his actions.

"The court finds based on the [psychological] opinion that the defendant completely lacked criminal intent for the act," the judge said. He then referred Ledgard to the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center for an evaluation and set a Feb. 28 date to determine the "least restrictive environment" for him.

Authorities said Ledgard was an employee but not on duty at Frisch's Big Boy, 3537 Secor Rd., when he went to the restaurant shortly after 4 p.m. Nov. 18. Once there, he walked into the kitchen and poured the drug Iron Hydrogenated Dextran, also known as Iron-100, into the coffee pot. An employee witnessed the act, so the coffee was never served.

His attorney, Paul Accettola, said during a statement in court Ledgard "attempted to mingle a harmful substance with a drink." He said the drug was produced solely for veterinarian use, and large quantities could be fatal to humans.

Used to treat anemia in baby pigs, the drug is toxic for an adult human in quantities of 500 to 1,000 milligrams. Even a lower dose would "likely cause a departure from well being," Mr. Accettola said.

The vials in Ledgard's possession contained 10,000 milligrams of iron, or 10 times the number considered toxic, Mr. Accettola said.

Ledgard was initially charged with one count of contaminating a substance for human consumption, a first-degree felony. The charge was amended to attempted contaminating a substance for human consumption, a second-degree felony, because Ledgard tried but was stopped and so was not successful in fully contaminating the coffee, said Louis Kountouris, an assistant county prosecutor.

Mr. Kountouris said when Ledgard was questioned about pouring something into the coffee, he said he had "placed poison in the brew."

"He was unable to explain why he did this," Mr. Kountouris added.

Prior to the trial, Ledgard was evaluated for both a "not guilty by reason of insanity" plea and for competency to stand trial. Though found competent to assist in his own defense, an evaluation by the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center revealed he did not know the wrongfulness of his act.

Judge Bates referred to this report when rendering his verdict.

The charge was not the first time Ledgard appeared in court. In April, 2010, he was found guilty in Toledo Municipal Court of assault charges after hitting a corrections officer at the Lucas County jail. He was sentenced to spend 30 days at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio. In July, 2010, he was found guilty in common pleas court of stalking and was sentenced to one year at CCNO and five years of community control, according to court records. He was released from the regional jail March 21.

Contact Erica Blake at: eblake@theblade.com or 419-213-2134.