Ohio Judge Poisoned With Antifreeze . . . Wife Of 45 Years Arrested

In a case that seems right out of Arsenic and Old Lace, Carla Rae Hague, 71, has been arrested for allegedly attempting to kill Judge Charles Hague, by putting antifreeze into his food or drink. Judge Hague survived but the hospital found high levels of ethylene glycol in his system. Police arrested Carla Rae Hague for felonious assault and is sitting in a jail cell next to the courthouse where her husband is a judge. She is expected to be charged with attempted murder and possible tampering with evidence.

Hague is a former nurse and was married to the judge for 45 years.

The case will go to the grand jury as Hogue remains in jail and her husband recovers at home. There is obviously a potential conflict in trying this case in Ashtabula County where the judge sits. It would seem clear that the case should be handled outside the county.

I have not been able to locate the basis for the tampering charge. Often police will tack on the charge if the person is accused of hiding or throwing away the evidence. In this case, they could be accusing Hogue of throwing away the antifreeze container or taking some step to hide the evidence. They have publicly said that they have evidence of intentional poisoning but it is not known if this was a statement by Hogue or forensic evidence. Local coverage does not detail the basis for the tampering charge or the basis for the murder charge. More will likely be learned after the grand jury acts.

Source: ABC