VAN NUYS : Police to Seek Charges in Report of Needle in Soda
Los Angeles police detectives said Monday they will seek charges against a Van Nuys woman who claimed she was jabbed in the gums by a hypodermic needle in a can of Diet Coke.
Detective Joel Price said he planned to ask the city attorney’s office today to charge Debra Uyeka, 24, with filing a false police report, which carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Uyeka, who is deaf and mute, walked into the West Valley Division police station June 14 with an open can of soda that contained a small syringe. She wrote a report to officers saying that she had bought the can the day before at a Dale’s Junior Market in the 16900 block of Vanowen Street in Van Nuys and that she discovered the needle after opening the soda and taking a swallow.
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