A Houston janitor is headed to prison for six years after getting caught on video pulling the ultimate office foul—urinating in a coworker’s water bottle.
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53-year-old Lucio Catarino Diaz pleaded guilty this past Tuesday to an aggravated assault charge involving a deadly weapon—his bodily fluids, which were found to contain herpes simplex 1. According to Click2Houston, Diaz was sentenced to two years of time served. He will be eligible for parole after serving three additional years.
The additional charges of aggravated assault and indecent assault were dismissed, and Diaz will not be required to register as a sex offender.
How a Co-worker Allegedly Caught a Janitor Urinating in Her Water Bottle
The investigation into Diaz began in 2022 after an employee at a medical building noticed the communal water dispenser had a “funny taste and smell.” She started bringing her own water bottles to work but found they also began to smell “nasty,” so she threw them away.
A co-worker, upon offering to make coffee using water from an employee’s bottle, noticed the liquid had a yellow tint. “I felt disgusted,” the anonymous woman recalled to local outlet KHOU. “I raised it to my face, smelled it, and it smelled like urine.”
Since they were in a medical building, an on-site physician tested the liquid and reportedly confirmed it was urine. The woman then bought a small camera and set it up at her desk. She left a bottle there to try to catch the person responsible.
According to court documents, the woman later “observed the janitor, a person she knows as Lucio, open her water bottle, which was placed on her desk, unzip his pants, remove his penis from his pants, and place the head of his penis (bare) into her water bottle, causing the entire mouth of the water bottle to touch his penis.”
He placed the cap back on and left it on her desk. Diaz reportedly repeated the act the following night.
The Janitor Allegedly Admitted to Having a ‘Sickness’
According to People, referencing court documents, Diaz admitted to police that he had a “sickness.” He confessed to his actions, stating he did it “because he knew [the employee] would drink it the next day.”
He also reportedly revealed that he had engaged in similar behavior at a previous job.
The employee later tested positive for Herpes simplex virus type 1 after the incident. Diaz also tested positive for the same virus and chlamydia. Since then, 13 women have alleged contracting an STD from Diaz.
Meanwhile, Diaz’s attorney told Click2Houston that the janitor was “remorseful for his actions. [He] did not want to go to trial and put the complainants through that process as well. He accepted responsibility for his actions and accepted the negotiated plea offer.”
The attorney said another hearing is scheduled for March 25, where victims can share impact statements.