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A couple from Santa Clarita, California, is sharing their unsettling experience after their roommate allegedly poisoned them, leading to a tense standoff with authorities on Tuesday. They claim this incident followed months of harassment by the individual.
Officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department – Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, reported that deputies were dispatched to the residence on Tuesday in response to allegations of poisoning.
The couple contacted law enforcement after reviewing surveillance footage that appeared to show their roommate contaminating their food with Raid bug spray. This revelation came after they suffered repeated bouts of illness, prompting several visits to the emergency room with symptoms including chest and stomach pain.
Billy Sonhopper and her husband, David, identified 42-year-old Timothy Bradbury as their tormentor, a situation they endured for months. However, it was only upon reviewing the surveillance video that they realized the severity of the threat to their lives.
The footage captured Bradbury, who was later identified by authorities, wearing a gas mask and using what seemed to be a blue can of Raid to spray groceries and produce in their shared kitchen, even targeting areas inside the pantry.
David Sonhopper said at his latest ER visit, he was told he has liver damage, and medical professionals said, based on his blood work, they thought it could be poisoning.
That’s what led the couple to check the cameras the landlord has installed in the home.
“On the video we found that, besides all the other things that he’s done in the year that we’ve lived here, that he was spraying something — we weren’t sure if it was rat poison, wasp spray,” David Sonhopper said.
“He was spraying stuff all over our groceries — our fruit, our vegetables, our coffee pot that we use every morning, and our whole pantry full of our chips and cereal, all of our canned goods and spices. Everything. He sprayed it all over everything,” Billy Sonhopper said.
The couple said that, on top of the recent incident, Bradbury has also thrown away their food and cut up their clothes.
“He set our house on fire. He’s poisoned our stuff. He’s destroyed our property. I’ve had to get a new car because he destroyed my old one,” David Sonhopper said.
They noted that they had called law enforcement in the past, but never had much evidence until they discovered the new surveillance video.
When deputies responded to the home on Tuesday, they attempted to make contact with Bradbury, but he retreated inside and refused to come out, deputies said.
Deputies learned that Bradbury suffers from a mental health disability and called a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Mental Evaluation Team to the scene.
After two hours of negotiations, Bradbury exited the home voluntarily and was detained, the sheriff’s department said. He was placed under arrest for willful poisoning of food, drink, medicine or water with the intent to cause injury.
Video from the scene shows gloved deputies going in and out of the home. At one point, an investigator is seen removing a blue can of Raid that looks just like the one in the surveillance video.
The couple says the owner of the home has been trying to evict Bradbury. Given the shocking video, they say they’re terrified of what could happen next.
“It’s been hell living with him the past year. It’s been horrible,” David Sonhopper said after Bradbury’s arrest. “With her health issues, we were extremely concerned. And we’re just tired. We’ve been living with so much stress.”
“We don’t want to be in fear anymore. We’re tired of it. We just want to be safe.” Billy Sonhopper said.
The couple added that they hope the suspect gets the mental health support he needs.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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