Woman told co-worker’s bodily fluids in her drink wasn’t a sex crime

WATCH ABOVE: Pat Maahs’ co-worker admits to putting bodily fluid into her coffee cup. He was arrested, but the judge dismissed sexual conduct charges, essentially telling the Legislature it’s up to them to fix a hole in the law. Jennifer Mayerle reports.

WARNING: This story contains graphic details and may be disturbing for some readers. Discretion is advised.

TORONTO – A Minnesota woman has made it her mission to change state laws after being told that her co-worker didn’t commit a sex crime when he put bodily fluids in her drink.

Patricia Maahs caught a co-worker last August at Beisswenger’s Hardware Store standing near her desk with his hands near his genitals. After he quickly left, she was disturbed with what she found at her workspace.

“He looked over his shoulder, had the deer in the headlights look and promptly left the room, and when he left the room I looked down and here was a puddle on the desk,” Maahs explained. There was also a strong odour.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He looked over his shoulder, had the deer in the headlights look and promptly left the room, and when he left the room I looked down and here was a puddle on the desk," <a href="http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/03/16/woman-violated-by-co-worker-wants-coffee-incident-to-be-a-sex-crime/" target="_blank">Maahs explained</a>. There was also a strong odour.

The 34-year-old that she had worked with for 14 years had ejaculated seminal fluid in her coffee cup. What’s worse — that was not the first time, according to WCCO.

“It is a sexual assault. I was sexually assaulted,” Maahs proclaimed to reporter Jennifer Mayerle.

After police told the suspect that Maahs had complained that her drink had tasted odd for some time, the suspect admitted to ejaculating “into her coffee twice in the last six months,” according to the criminal complaint. He also confessed to four other incidents in which they left seminal fluid on her desk or other items.

But fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct charges were thrown out by a judge, “because there is nothing in the law anywhere to prevent anyone from polluting your food,” Maahs told the Minnesota House of Representatives. The suspect is instead now facing a lesser charge of indecent exposure.

She said the government let her down.

“My worst thought was I have to go through STD testing for a year and he’s going to get off,” she told CBS.

Rep. Debra Hilstrom and Maahs have set out to change state laws so a case like this doesn’t happen again.

A bill to criminalize this conduct has already passed the Public Safety Committee and now heads to the House Floor.

“Let’s hope this doesn’t happen to folks in the future,” said Rep. Raymond Dehn, “and if it does, we have to have recourse to punish individuals who commit these offenses.”