May 8, 2009 6:45 am US/Eastern
Md. Man Charged With Drugging Men To Assault Them
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ/AP) ―
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Thomas Eichelberger is charged with tampering with the drinks of men to take advantage of them sexually, stealing their identities and blackmail.
CBS
Money, deception, drugs and sex were all part of what police say was an elaborate scheme an Annapolis man ran to take advantage of at least five people, and there could be more victims.
Mary Bubala reports one woman says she saw the suspect in action.
Money was the motive, and drugs and sex were how police say Thomas Eichelberger ran his scheme.
Eichelberger, 42, has been indicted on 26 counts, including charges of poisoning drinks, sexual assaults, I.D. fraud and drug possession.
Court documents tell the story.
Investigators say Eichelberger posed as a wealthy business investor to take his victims to a bar or restaurant to discuss a business opportunity then slip a drug into their drink.
Once the victim's judgment was altered, police say Eichelberger would take advantage of the men sexually, steal their identities and even blackmail them.
According to the court documents, Eichelberger met one of his victims at the Purple Tooth Restaurant in Annapolis just blocks from the State House.
It was a manager at the restaurant who saw Eichelberger try to drug his victim.
"His companion went to the bathroom, and he actually, I saw him unravel a piece of foil and put the foil in the drink of his friend," said Emmy Harvo, business owner.
The court documents say after the victim walked away from the table, Eichelberger slipped something into the victim's drink.
The manager replaced the drink, and Eichelberger got up and left.
Later that night, police found Eichelberger at another restaurant in Annapolis and found four pills of hydocone on him. Experts say the prescription drug can make you feel like you are drunk.
"These are heavy duty pain killers. When you mix those with alcohol, it magnifies the effect. So you're literally looking at the possibility here of death," said Mike Gimbel, substance abuse expert.
Eichelberger was first arrested last December. Police say news of that arrest busted the case wide open.
"We were able to get Eichelberger's name out there, and we've had a few victims come forth and ultimately five victims came forth, and we were able to get an indictment on Mr. Eichelberger last Friday," said Elena Russo, state police spokesman.
Police say there could be more victims out there, and anyone who has any information should call state police.
Eichelberger faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on just one count of tampering with a person's food and drink.
A hearing is set for the end of the month.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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