IRVINE, Calif. — A California woman is accused of trying to poison her husband of 10 years after the man claimed he had video evidence of the attempts, authorities said.
Yue “Emily” Yu, 45, of Irvine, was arrested on Aug. 4 on suspicion of poisoning Jack Chen, 53, Irvine, a radiologist, according to a news release from the Irvine Police Department.
According to documents filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court, Chen alleged that his wife began adding Drano, a brand of drain cleaner, to his drinks in March and April 2022, KNBC-TV reported. Chen said he began noticing “a chemical taste” in the lemonade he regularly drank, according to the television station.
“The victim captured video evidence supporting his suspicion and turned it over to police,” the Irvine Police Department said in its release.
The man sustained “significant internal injuries” but is expected to recover, police said.
Yu, a dermatologist in Mission Viejo, allegedly was recorded three separate times taking the drain cleaner from under their kitchen sink and pouring it into his lemonade, The Orange County Register reported.
Chen was granted a temporary restraining order on Friday, according to the newspapers. Court documents state that Yu cannot contact her husband or their two children, must stay 100 yards away from them and must move out of their home until the restraining order hearing set for Aug. 18.
Yu’s attorney, David Wohl, told the Register in a statement that Yu “vehemently and unequivocally denies ever attempting to poison her husband or anyone else. As a well-respected physician, her goal has always been to help people and never to harm them.”
“We are very concerned that these defamatory, false allegations have been made by (Chen) in an attempt to gain an advantage in the divorce and custody case he filed against Ms. Yu, a day after she was arrested.”
No charges have been filed by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office as of Wednesday, according to the Register.
Yu was released from jail on Aug. 5 after posting bail, according to online records.