An Arab man is in the Cullman County Jail and his girlfriend is in a Birmingham hospital. Police say the man forced his girlfriend to drink Red Devil Lye.
According to the dictionary, Red Devil Lye is a highly concentrated, aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide.
Police say 27-year-old Kristopher Shane Hopkins made a woman drink it during a fight inside his Cullman County home.
“I have no idea why, what reason,” said Scotty Joe Watson of the Arab Vice Unit. “I don’t know why anybody does anything. They were in an altercation and he put it down her throat.”
The 26-year-old woman, who has not been identified, has serious injuries to her tongue and throat. This has forced doctors to put her in a medically induced coma.
It’s not surprising, considering Red Devil Lye is used to open up clogged drains.
“Think about what it does when you put it down the sink,” said Watson. “And when it hits organic matter, it eats it away.”
Red Devil Lye is also used to make crystal meth.
“We had information that there had been a meth lab inside the house,” said Watson. “Not for sure on that.”
The woman is expected to recover, but will have lasting damage to her tongue and throat. Kristopher Hopkins is being held on a $30,000 bond.
