A Florida man who didn’t want to wear a mask in a Best Buy on Saturday was booked on a disorderly conduct charge after he coughed, spit, and sneezed throughout the store, deputies said.
Employees at a Vero Beach location of the chain told the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office that they asked Alton George Ashby multiple times to wear a mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus, per store policy.
Ashby, 51, of Palm Bay “was going to Geek Squad to get help” but walked up with no mask, store manager Steve Adi bin told deputies.
Ashby then proceeded to “cough and spit all over (the) Geek Squad counter then continued to walk around the connected department to do the same thing,” according to the arrest affidavit.
He’s also accused of pulling a package of masks down onto the floor, spraying a soda drink, sneezing all over counters, wiping his hands on shelves, and refusing to leave, the report states.
After he was pulled over in the Cadillac sedan he left the Best Buy in, Ashby later explained his behavior by saying he’s been going through a lot this year and got carried away, according to the affidavit.
Ashby posted a $500 bond and is due in court on January 5, jail records show.