Photo: Houston Police Department
Lucio Catarino Diaz, a janitor at a doctor's office in Houston, has been sentenced to six years in prison for urinating in water bottles, leading to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among employees. Diaz pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with his bodily fluids being the weapon.
The disturbing incidents occurred at a medical practice along Houston’s East Freeway, where Diaz worked. According to KRPC, employees began noticing a strange taste and smell in the water from the office dispenser in August 2022. One employee, after experiencing the foul taste, started bringing her own water bottle. However, she later found that her personal bottle had also been tampered with, prompting her to set up a hidden camera. The footage revealed Diaz urinating into her bottle.
Further testing confirmed the presence of herpes simplex 1 and hepatitis A in the water. The contamination led to a lawsuit filed by four women, which later expanded to include nine more victims, all of whom tested positive for incurable STDs. The lawsuit names the building's owner, management company, maintenance company, and the cleaning company that employed Diaz.
Diaz expressed remorse and accepted a plea deal to avoid trial. He will be eligible for parole after serving three years of his sentence.