The husband of a California dermatologist set up a hidden camera in his home kitchen and allegedly caught his wife poisoning his hot lemonade with drain cleaner, court documents show.
Physician Jack Chen surreptitiously filmed his wife of 10 years Yue “Emily” Yu after he fell ill and suspected her of spiking his drink with Drano, according to an affidavit obtained by the New York Post.
Mr Chen provided the footage to police in Irvine, Orange County, who arrested Ms Yu, 45, outside her Mission Viejo dermatology office on Thursday.
She was released after posting $30,000 bond on Friday, according to Orange County Jail inmate records, and has not yet been criminally charged.
Mr Chen further alleged his wife had a history of physical and verbal abuse against him and the couple’s two children in requesting a restraining order through the courts, the Post reported.
“When Emily gets frustrated and yells at the children, she’ll commonly use a Chinese phrase that translates to ‘go die’,” Mr Chen told the court.
“She also says to the children, ‘your head has a problem, ‘your head is sick, ‘go f*** yourself,’ ‘f***ing idiot,’ ‘stupid a**hole,’ and ‘get the f*** out of my way’.”
Mr Chen, a radiologist, suffered “significant internal injuries” after consuming the cleaning product, police said.
He is seeking a divorce, and was granted a temporary restraining order by the courts, the Post reported.
The Providence Mission Hospital where Ms Yu has privileges has said it is cooperating with the police investigation and said there had been no impact on patients.
Mr Chen said he had met Ms Yu in 2011 and they married the following year.
He claimed in the court documents that he noticed a change in her after the birth of their two children in 2013 and 2014.
The couple’s two children, now aged 7 and 8, had been allegedly abused since they were infants, Mr Chen claimed in court documents.
Irvine Police Department Lieutenant Bill Bingham told DailyMail.com that it appeared Mr Chen had been poisoned “over a period of time”.
Mr Bingham said the radiologist fell ill about a month ago, and sought medical treatment when his condition deteriorated.
He set up the cameras after growing suspicious of his wife, Mr Bingham told DailyMail.com.
Mr Bingham and Mr Chen’s attorney Steven Hittelman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
