Kevin Trejo, 21, of Westwood, New Jersey has been arrested for the disgusting alleged act of spitting into the coffee of a police officer at Starbucks. What is interesting is the array of the charges fired against the now former barista. In an interview on Fox, Park Ridge, New Jersey Lt. James Babcock said that they confirmed that the act occurred and that they were told that Trejo had done it repeatedly with officers. Babcock said that Trejo claimed to have only done it once.
Presumably, someone spotted the act given the open preparation area of Starbucks.
According to the police press release, the police hit Trejo with three charges for subjecting a law enforcement officer to bodily fluid, purposely tampering with a law enforcement officer’s drink and creating a hazardous environment. Those charges seem completely overlapping in charging the same act three times.
The tampering charge is relatively straight forward.
2C:40-17 Tampering, degree of offense; sentencing requirements.
2. a. Except as provided in subsection b. of this section, a person who knowingly tampers with a cosmetic, drug or food product is guilty of a crime of the third degree, except that nothing herein shall be deemed to preclude a charge for a greater crime under any other provision of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
Then however they hit him with another charge for the same act by treating his spitting as “throwing bodily fluids.”
2C:12-13 Throwing bodily fluid at certain law enforcement officers deemed aggravated assault; grading, sentence.
2.A person who throws a bodily fluid at a Department of Corrections employee, county corrections officer, juvenile corrections officer, State juvenile facility employee, juvenile detention staff member, probation officer, any sheriff, undersheriff or sheriff’s officer or any municipal, county or State law enforcement officer while in the performance of his duties or otherwise purposely subjects such employee to contact with a bodily fluid commits an aggravated assault. If the victim suffers bodily injury, this shall be a crime of the third degree. Otherwise, this shall be a crime of the fourth degree. A term of imprisonment imposed for this offense shall run consecutively to any term of imprisonment currently being served and to any other term imposed for another offense committed at the time of the assault. Nothing herein shall be deemed to preclude, if the evidence so warrants, an indictment and conviction for a violation or attempted violation of chapter 11 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes or subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:12-1 or any other provision of the criminal laws.
L.1997,c.182,s.2; amended 1999, c.429; 2003, c.283.
That would seem a double tap but still defensible. However, then they reframed the act a third time as the creation of the hazardous environment charge was brought under 2C:33-2:
2C:33-2. Disorderly conduct
a. Improper behavior. A person is guilty of a petty disorderly persons offense, if with purpose to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof he(1) Engages in fighting or threatening, or in violent or tumultuous behavior; or
(2) Creates a hazardous or physically dangerous condition by any act which serves no legitimate purpose of the actor.
…
“Public” means affecting or likely to affect persons in a place to which the public or a substantial group has access; among the places included are highways, transport facilities, schools, prisons, apartment houses, places of business or amusement, or any neighborhood.
I admit I tend to view such cases from the perspective of a criminal defense attorney.I have no sympathy for Trejo if he committed this act and Starbucks appears to believe that he did. However, the charges are an example of how prosecutors can count stack by reframing the same act in a myriad of different ways. Spitting was tampering and then throwing fluids and then creating hazards.
This is obviously a barista that the police desperately wants behind bars.
I don’t usually comment on someone’s looks, but he looks sick to me. I hope he doesn’t have Covid19.
The barista deserves a triple-shot of justice.
Oh, but it *could* be construed as a hazardous act in the time of COVID, and ironically, it is the über-leftists egging kids like him on that insist we haven’t seen such a biohazard since the Black Death and must lock down and don Hazmat gear for the rest of eternity (or November, if they were to win). Funny how stupidity and karma can be interchangeable at times.
I agree James. We need to treat these incidents economically. Stop the Leftists from subsidizing the terrorism and tax the hell out of them with law enforcement.
The linked article says the following:
“The arrest comes at a time of increased tension between police and some members of the community following weeks of rallies for police reform in New Jersey and through the country.”
That is a lie. The “tension” is hate speech towards LEO that Obama initiated that BLM, ANTIFA / Democrats have stoked these past few months. The Left demands “reform” for others they selectively choose but not themselves. The Left will never back down and the only option left is to let it rip. Police across the nation should call out sick (e.g. COVID symptoms?) for as many weeks their sick time affords them
Drop the bomb on Democrat cities to cull the herd
Keep him in local lockup for 30 days and if he is still alive at the end of his time, let him go.
We have seen how incensed Starbucks becomes when anyone for any reason cries racism. I want to see how Starbucks acts towards the policeman and police that have a legitimate concern.
“…a bit of a double tap”. Ha. Agreed.
Chef Gordon Ramsay goes nuts in this video
Warning. There is foul language including cursing & swearing. If you can’t take the heat in the kitchen, then leave.
This is one of the reasons I don’t eat out – especially at places with a lot of young males in the kitchen. People who eat out or buy a lot of take out have ingested a lot more spit, boogers, and intimate sweat than they’ll ever know. I’ve heard way too many stories from people who’ve seen this kind of foolery going on.
I’m all for charging creeps like this kid with whatever you possibly can.
Tampering with other people’s food is absolutely evil. It’s just one of those things a decent person Does. Not. Do – not to anybody.
Spitting in someone’s food or drink is disgusting. But to describe it as “absolutely evil” trivializes actual evil, such as the barbaric inhumane deprivations and death inflicted upon the victims of the Nazi death camps and Soviet Gulags.
Randy, two things.
1) I’m not the one comparing spitting in food with genocide. YOU drew that comparison.
2) Evil wears many guises. Take evil in one of its purest forms – Satan. Cultures draw him with horns and hooves, but historically and in the Bible, he never appears that way. Outwardly, Ezekiel described him as beautiful and full of splendor, but internally filled with violence. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes that Satan appears as an angel of light.
Now, here’s my main point – Hospitality – in most (if not all) cultures throughout history – is sacred. When you extend your hand with food or drink to another human being, you’re extending more than a bunch of calories – you’re extending in one of the most overt and concrete manners posible: welcome, respect, an invitation to peace and community, and sustenance for the body-mind-soul.
It is one of the most visible gestures of love, kindness, and humanity.
And in return, they extend their trust and respect. Accepting food or drink from another person is practically the human version of rolling over and showing their vulnerable underside. It’s one of the most visible acts of trust and respect. They’re literally placing themselves at someone else’s mercy.
That is what I, and billions of other human beings believe. Anyone who can’t accept that should not be handing food to another human being. Period.
I’ll say it again. Abusing the sacred rite of hospitality is evil in one of its purest, most covert forms.
Randy sounds like he was triggered… So em considers spitting in food to be evil. You measure it differently. Good for you. Get over it.
DV writes, “Triggered…you measure things differently…good for you…Get over it…” but has nothing productive or pertinent to say. So really, why bother?
But, No. Some of us enjoy having an opinion and being able to back it up.
Get over it.
And just for future reference, someone taking the time to politely clarify an opinion expressed on a topic that they happen to feel strongly about is not the same as being, ‘triggered.’ It’s probably the exact opposite. But if you want to split hairs. Go for it. It’s your head.
Also – DV – you’re the one responding negatively to my statements, and you’re only responding because you don’t like what I had to say.
So if anyone’s been triggered.
It’s you.
DV – apparently I can’t read ’cause I COMPLETELY misread what you wrote.
I apologize for misinterpreting your comment and going after you the way I did like a complete and total jackbutt.
This kid is so clueless that he had been bragging about it, and that’s how he got busted.
https://www.nj.com/bergen/2020/07/starbucks-worker-admits-he-spit-in-officers-drinks-bragged-about-it-police-chief-says.html
This will not look good on his resume. I imagine that he got some very special treatment once they got him to the jail.
I wouldn’t worry about it too much…
I’m sure “they” will set up a Go Fund Me slush account for him!
I have a feeling the cuffs were extra tight on this guy and they took their time on the booking. Look, Mom, what I did!!!
You guys are the lawyers. So can someone explain why all three charges wouldn’t be given? If not, why do we have three laws that overlap then?
In times like this, crimes can be enhanced. If race was involved the crime could be enhanced as a hate crime. What we have here is gasoline, next to explosives, with Trejo the lit match. All lives matter. That includes Blacks and Cops.
Send him back.
This act was very nasty. Pistol whipping across the face would be good. Knock out his teeth. Year in jail and have him clean outhouses.
Approximately 3 years ago the Board of Health did an unannounced inspection of Starbucks thru out the USA
30% were found to have fecal matter in their ice
I did wonder what else those individuals touched within those Starbuck stores?
It was the last time I ever drank a cup of coffee from Starbucks ☕
Starbuck’s coffee sucks. They over-roast the beans in order to keep them from getting stale. Which is why it always tastes like it is burnt.
Independent coffee shops are the only ones I patronize.
Hocus, I went to Snopes (Snopes for dopes). They called it false “Importantly, however, what Watchdog found was not actually feces or fecal matter, but an extremely broad class of bacteria in 30 percent of the ten samples they took from a single Starbucks in the UK.” But why should any bacteria be in the ice or water supply? They didn’t bother to explain that. Perhaps people aren’t sanitary and are using their hands.
Snopes is completely worthless.
His wife took him to the cleaners in the divorce, and immediately thereafter he sold out completely.
Same with Wikipedia.
Meanwhile, a former judge argues in Federal court that a defendant wrongly targeted for a non-existent ‘crime’ committed perjury by seeking to withdraw his guilty plea.This is obviously someone that powerful forces desperately want silenced, at least until the November election.
Michael Flynn is a political prisoner. Judge Sullivan, dismiss the charges.
One identical act being 3 crimes seems unreasonable.
Not when the act violates a number of statutory provisions.
He’s a bright looking fellow. Was he deported from Chaz or Chop or whatever the hell they call it.
…the kids been drinking away too much of that Starbucks coffee!
His mother and father were married in Westwood, NJ in September 1995 and by all appearances still live there. He’s local. Both parents hispanic, with Christian names (Juan and Olga Leticia) which suggest they’re immigrants or their parents were. Neither the mother nor the father appear to be on LinkedIn or Facebook.