OCHLOCKNEE — An Ochlocknee man has died after drinking a poisonous weed killer stored in a beer container, apparently by mistake.

Thomas County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Tim Watkins said Charles Freeman, 63, placed a call to a family member March 30 when he realized he had ingested a herbicide called paraquat.

“It’s very poisonous,” Watkins said of the substance. “There is no antidote for it, I believe.”

Freeman was transported by a family member to Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville where he informed medical staff he had ingested the substance by mistake.

The sheriff’s office received a call from the coroner notifying them of Freeman’s death by poisoning at approximately 2:45 p.m. Monday.

“Because he died of poisoning they would notify us,” Watkins said. “It’s for law enforcement to determine was it accidental, intentional, suicide or homicide.” 

Watkins said the nature of the case means investigators may never know exactly what led to Freeman ingesting the poisonous substance.

“There are some things we were not able to ask him before he expired,” he said. “We got notified after he expired, not before.”

Watkins said Freeman had spoken with a relative who had paraquat prior to March 30 in reference to obtaining the herbicide.

Freeman received the substance from the relative, likely the night of March 29, and stored it in a beverage container.

Watkins said Freeman ingested the paraquat sometime the following morning.

“He left it overnight, got up the next morning and I guess he thought he still had some beer in there,” Watkins said. “He decided to have a drink and it was not good for him.”

The lead investigator said no charges are pending in the case at this time because it appears the substance was ingested accidentally.

“The way it looks, it’s probably going to be accidental,” Watkins said. “Unless we get some information that just completely turns this around.”

Watkins could not provide a timeframe for when the investigation may be completed.