Woman arrested after poisoning husband with Trazodone, police say

VERNAL — A woman is in custody after allegedly mixing Trazodone with her husband’s drinks, sending him to the ICU for several days.

A probable cause statement for the incident said 58-year-old Keri Kelsey admitted to crushing up “approximately five prescription medication pills and (putting) them in the victim’s Jagermeister.”

Police spoke with several witnesses who said that Kelsey put the pills in her husband’s drink at their home. Some witnesses told police that they confronted the woman about putting a substance in her husband’s drink, and Kelsey told them she put some of her daughter’s medication in his drinks to help him sleep. However, one witness said Kelsey told them she used Trazodone “in an effort to kill him,” the statement said.

Kelsey admitted to police that she “put the prescription medication in the Jagermeister while the victim was outside so that he would not know she had done it,” the statement said. Kelsey reportedly admitted to investigators that she told a friend, “Maybe (he) will die this time.”

Kelsey’s husband was taken to Ashley Regional Medical Center in Vernal on Dec. 1 and had to spend several days in the ICU, according to police. The statement said Kelsey’s husband had also willingly taken two of the Trazodone pills earlier to help him sleep.

American Addiction Centers’ website says mixing Trazodone and alcohol can lead to serious problems, including extreme drowsiness and increased risk of overdose death.

Kelsey was taken to the Uintah County Jail on Dec. 4 on suspicion of surreptitious administration of substances, a third-degree felony. The statement said that charge could come with a domestic violence enhancement.

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Domestic violence resources

If you or someone you know is going through abuse, help is available.

• The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).
• Resources are also available online at the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition website.
• YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
• Utah’s statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233