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NJ Starbucks Worker Charged with Spitting in Officers' Drink

Trejo is charged with subjecting a law enforcement officer to contact with bodily fluid, tampering with a cup of coffee knowing it was purchased by a law enforcement officer and creating a hazardous environment.

July 22, 2020
NJ Starbucks Worker Charged with Spitting in Officers' Drink

 

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A former employee of a Starbucks in Park Ridge, New Jersey, is accused of spitting in drinks served to police officers, authorities said.

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Kevin Trejo, 21, was arrested and charged Monday after an investigation found that he spat in the drinks of officers who patronized the store where he worked, Park Ridge Police Chief Joseph Madden said in a statement.

Madden thanked the management of the store for "their sincere cooperation" and said it appears Trejo acted alone.

"We got a tip that he had done this," Capt. Joseph Rampolla told NBC News. "That was enough for our detective bureau to get concerned, especially during" the coronavirus pandemic.

"We believe it happened more than once but we can prove it happened at least once on May 25," he said in a phone interview Tuesday. Rampolla did not elaborate on how police confirmed the May 25 incident.

Trejo is charged with subjecting a law enforcement officer to contact with bodily fluid, tampering with a cup of coffee knowing it was purchased by a law enforcement officer and creating a hazardous environment.

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