Police have arrested a factory worker from Hopkins County, Texas after he allegedly trapped a co-worker in a room full of steam and chemicals.
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According to a report by 14 News, the incident occurred on Wednesday 5 March. Madisonville Police reportedly spoke to a woman who worked at the factory. She alleged that she was working with Barrett Korinta, 23. The pair were apparently in a 'rack washroom' which can spray steam up to 200 degrees. Korinta walked out alone and locked the door behind him. He then reportedly turned the machine on, which filled the room with chemicals and scalding steam.
Per the outlet, police say the woman managed to flip an emergency switch inside the rack washroom before falling unconscious. According to 44 News Evansville, the pair work at Land O Frost, a meat processing plant. Korinta has since been fired from his position.
In an interview, Major Jason Mcknight of the Madisonville Police Department said, "Our understanding is that up to 200 degrees, the room can get up to when it's closed. At some point, the two of them were talking about how one could shut the other one in there, so he did. So when he pushed her in there, he started the machine."
Investigators say the woman had no way to escape the room once Korinta locked her inside. The door reportedly has no way of opening from the inside, and pallets blocked a second entryway. Despite the severity of the incident, the woman escaped with minor injuries. Emergency Services treated her at a local hospital.
The Factory Worker's Motives Remain Unclear
Mcknight stresses that he doesn't want to speculate on why Korinta did it. He says, "If he was just joking around, even though that's not really a good joke. But at this point, yeah, we charged him accordingly. We don't know if it was malicious or if it was just one of things where you're not really thinking things through."
"At the end of the day, she was locked in there against her will, and somehow, the machine was started," he added.
Police have charged Korinta with wanton endangerment and unlawful imprisonment. 44 News explains that authorities released Korinta on Friday with a $1000 bond.
