BRAINERD, Minn. — A Brainerd man is accused of trying to poison an infant with antifreeze.
Twenty-three-year-old Jeffrey Thomas is charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault. A criminal complaint alleges Thomas tried to poison the 4-month-old girl after his wife became upset that he may have fathered the child with another woman. A paternity test has not been completed, but Thomas says he’s not the father.
The Star Tribune says the baby was placed with Thomas shortly after she was born following a child protection proceeding in Carlton County. The complaint says Thomas and his wife took the infant to the hospital after she became sick Jan. 18. Authorities say hospital tests showed the baby had ingested ethylene glycol, commonly found in antifreeze.
Thomas is in the Crow Wing County Jail on $750,000 bond.