Man Suspected of Putting Semen in Co-Worker's Water to Stand Trial

A man set to face trial on Tuesday is accused of twice putting his semen in a co-worker's water bottle, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

Michael Kevin Lallana, 32, of Fullerton faces misdemeanour battery and assault charges with sentencing allegations for committing a crime for sexual gratification, the district attorney's office said.

Authorities say the first incident happened in January 2010 when Lallana allegedly put his semen into a water bottle left on the desk of a female co-worker at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in Newport Beach. The co-worker later drank from the bottle, realized something was wrong with the contents and threw it away, according to the D.A.'s office.

In April 2010, Lallana and the female co-worker were among employees transferred to Northwestern Mutual Financial Network’s Orange branch. Soon after the move, authorities say, Lallana again put his semen in the woman's water bottle. Again, she detected something wrong with the water. This time she sent it to a private lab to be tested, according to the district attorney's office.

Lab results showed that there was semen in the water, the D.A.'s office said. The woman reported the incident to Orange police. An investigation led to the arrest of Lallana, who, according to authorities, was linked to the incident by DNA.

If convicted, Lallana faces a year in jail and could be required to register as a sex offender.