Watch CBS News

Jury Selection Begins Thursday In Semen Assault Case

SANTA ANA (CBS) —  Jury selection is expected to begin Thursday in the trial of a man accused of twice ejaculating into a female co-worker's water bottle.

According to prosecutors, Michael Kevin Lallana, 31, allegedly tainted the water bottle in the woman's office at Northwestern Mutual Mortgage Co. in Newport Beach on Jan. 14, 2010.

The woman drank the water when she returned to the office and became ill, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Lallana, a Fullerton resident, allegedly repeated the crime in April, after he and the woman had been transferred to the company's office in Orange. Prosecutors said the woman again drank the water and became sick. This time, however, she had the water tested.

In June, the woman was contacted by the lab and told the water contained semen. She then called Orange police, who linked Lallana to the crime by DNA, according to prosecutors.

Lallana is charged with two misdemeanor counts each of releasing an offensive material in a public place and assault. He is also charged with the allegation of committing a crime for sexual gratification.

Attorneys will consider pretrial motions beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, Deputy District Attorney Brock Zimmon said. Then they will begin picking a jury, he added.

If jury selection is completed Thursday then the attorneys will make their opening statements in the trial, Zimmon said. If not, then the opening statements will be made Tuesday, he added.

Attempts to reach Lallana's attorneys Erica and Eduardo Madrid after business hours were unsuccessful.

Lallana faces up to three years in prison if convicted, according to prosecutors.

The alleged victim in the case, who goes by Jane Doe in court papers, appeared in a press conference last year with attorney Gloria Allred who called her client "a hero" for having the water tested.

 (© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.