Pulp Fiction? Woman accused of putting poisoned orange juice in a Starbucks is released from jail
(CBS/KPIX/AP) SAN JOSE - A California woman accused of trying to place orange juice bottles spiked with a lethal amount of rubbing alcohol inside a Starbucks was released from jail without charges Thursday evening, reports CBS San Francisco.
An attorney for Ramineh Behbehanian called her arrest "a case of mass hysteria" as he spoke to reporters outside his client's San Jose home after she was released, according to the station. Dennis Lempert also questioned whether witnesses actually saw his client place the bottles in the refrigerator and whether the bottles contained poison at all.
Behbehanian was arrested Monday after a customer reportedly saw her take two bottles of orange juice from her bag and place them in a refrigerator at a San Jose Starbucks. The 50-year-old woman fled the establishment when the customer told staff what he saw. An employee followed her to the parking lot and got her license plate number as she drove away.
Other employees called 911 upon realizing the bottles had a toxic smell, said police.
Officials said firefighters tested the liquid and determined the bottles contained a "lethal quantity" of isopropyl rubbing alcohol mixed with the juice.
They tracked down Behbehanian at her home by using the license plate number. She was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and felony poisoning, according to officials.
Police said no one drank from the poisonous bottles and they are still looking for a motive. They believe it was an isolated incident.
According to CBS San Francisco, Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Luis Ramos said Behbehanian has not yet been charged because the investigation is not complete. He said prosecutors either had to charge Behbehanian or release her by Thursday afternoon.
"It does not mean that charges will or will not be filed. There was just not enough time under the penal code to charge her," he said.
Complete coverage of the Starbucks "tainted OJ" case on Crimesider