York County, SC, woman gets 9 months in prison after she poisoned co-worker’s iced tea
A woman who poured degreaser into a Rock Hill co-worker’s drink has been sentenced to nine months in prison after admitting to the crime.
But it remains unclear why she poured cleaner into another woman’s iced tea in what is believed to be only the second felony conviction in York County of a person for poisoning food or drugs.
Tina Michelle Burch, 58, of York, pleaded guilty Tuesday in York County criminal court to felony malicious tampering with human food or drug products. The charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Judge Dan Hall sentenced Burch after a plea deal for a maximum of 10 years, prosecutors and her lawyer said.
Hall gave Burch the max of 10 years, but suspended most of the prison sentence to nine months active time in the S.C. Department of Corrections, followed by three years of probation and $1,500 restitution, according to prosecutors, her lawyer, and court records.
Crime: Caught on camera
The crime happened in June 2023 during the overnight shift at a business off Galleria Boulevard in Rock Hill. Surveillance video clearly showed Burch put cleaning product in another woman’s bottle of iced tea, said 16th Circuit senior solicitor Matthew Shelton.
The victim drank the tea then vomited and had facial numbness after Burch poisoned her, Shelton said. The victim received medical treatment after becoming ill, he said.
“This could have been much worse,” Shelton said after court.
Burch’s lawyer, Ryan Newkirk of the York County Public Defender’s Office, said after court that Burch had a lapse in judgment the day of the crime.
“She is not a bad person — she had a bad day,” Newkirk said.
Prosecutor: Motive still unclear
The motive for the “impulsive” poisoning is a mystery because there was no documented past disagreement, ongoing beef, or human resources problems reported at work between the victim and Burch, said Shelton, the prosecutor.
Why Burch did it still isn’t clear, Shelton said.
A charge and conviction for felony tampering with food or drugs is extremely rare in York County. Prosecutors say the only other case ended up a homicide.
In July 2018, Lana Sue Clayton of Lake Wylie poisoned her husband Steven’s drinks with eye drops for days before he died in a case that received national media attention after The Herald reported her arrest.
In the Clayton case, there was no video of the crime — but toxicology from Steven Clayton’s autopsy showed the poison.
Lana Sue Clayton was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2020 after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and tampering with food or drugs.
