Kentucky man arrested for allegedly threatening wife with rifle because he thought she poisoned his deviled eggs
03/19/2026 3:58 pm PDT
JAMBOREE, Ky. (TCN) -- A man has been jailed on multiple counts in connection with allegedly trying to kill his wife, telling authorities he believed she had poisoned his deviled eggs with Tylenol.
WKRC reports that on March 13, police responded to a report of a man walking around the residence with a gun. When they arrived, they found 72-year-old Ronald Wayne Coots on the porch holding a rifle and bleeding from a wound on his arm. At first, he did not drop the weapon when compelled to by police but eventually complied.
According to WKRC, Coots was bleeding from his arm because he had punched a window. He told investigators he believed his wife, Betty Coots, was trying to kill him by adding Tylenol to his deviled eggs. He then allegedly said he “should’ve blew her brains out,” according to an arrest citation obtained by WKRC.
When investigators searched Coots’ home, they found a bloody handprint on the door to the bathroom, where Coots had found his wife. Home security footage showed Coots exiting the home with a shotgun and his wife shutting the door behind him. He then allegedly pointed the gun at the door and ordered her to open it. Betty Coots then called the police.
People reports that between the time Betty Coots called the police and the time they arrived, Coots gained access to the home by breaking a living room window. According to a citation obtained by the outlet, Coots, who was armed, allegedly ordered her to come outside with him “because he didn’t want to kill her inside.”
WKRC reports Coots was arrested and charged with burglary, wanton endangerment, unlawful imprisonment, terroristic threatening, menacing, and prescription controlled substance not in proper container. He was jailed after the wound on his arm was treated at the hospital.
According to People, Coots is scheduled to appear in court on March 26.
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