Woman Arrested After Spitting At Police Over Mask Dispute

Original Case Details

A woman has been arrested in St. Clair Shores and charged with assaulting a police officer, assault and battery and refusal to submit to fingerprinting after allegedly spitting on police officers after she was told to leave a Nino Salvaggio grocery store when she refused to wear a mask. The woman is accused of assaulting a store employee when the employee told her that she needed to wear a mask or leave the store. She is also said to have behaved erratically until she was taken into custody by St. Clair Shores Police. The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office acting lead Prosecutor Jean Cloud said that even during the heightened tensions of the current pandemic, the woman’s repeated inappropriate behavior could not be tolerated, and her actions clearly demonstrated a willful disregard for the safety of everyone around her. The woman is locally known in Macomb County as she unsuccessfully ran for Roseville mayor back in 2017, losing by a wide margin to current mayor Robert Taylor.

Current Pandemic

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has continued a period of sheltering in place and has declared Michigan in a state of emergency during this COVID-10 pandemic. Per state guidelines, supermarkets have taken measures to try to limit person to person contact, to properly socially distance, and to keep areas clean. Wearing a mask has been a sticking point for some, leading to violence as what has been alleged in the current case.

What’s Next?

The woman stands charged with one felony charge of assaulting a police officer which a felony charge which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. She is also charged with two misdemeanor charges; assault and battery and refusal to submit to fingerprinting. An assault and battery charge carries a maximum of 93 days in jail while a refusal to submit to fingerprinting charge carries a maximum of 90 days in jail.

The woman’s next step will be a probable cause conference in the 40th District Court in St. Clair Shores. The conference is to decide if the defendant will force the judge to determine if there is enough probable cause in the case to bind over (continue) the case in Macomb County Circuit Court where the case will continue, or waive this hearing in an effort to potentially negotiate a deal. The judge hearing her case will have to answer two questions to determine if the case should be bound over to the Circuit Court: 1) is there probable cause a crime was committed? and 2) is there probable cause that the defendant in this case committed it? If the judge says yes to both of these answers, then he or she should bind the case over to Circuit Court.

The woman may also look to negotiate a plea deal which could result in certain guaranteed outcomes that she might find appealing. Examples of guarantees in plea deals include the promise of no jail time, the reduction or dismissal of charges, or a specified amount of jail or probation time that is agreed to by both sides. If the woman does decide to make a deal, then that deal would have to approved and followed by the judge to be valid. If a deal is not made, then the woman could choose to have a trial by jury or by judge only.

Any Further Questions?

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime or are being investigated for one, then it is important to speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately. At Grabel & Associates, our attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience in successfully defending criminal cases all over the state of Michigan. This experience extends not only to adult cases, but also to juvenile charges. We are not a general practice firm. We are a team of criminal defense attorneys; it’s all we do. We offer a FREE consultation to anyone with questions relating to a possible or existing criminal charge against them or a loved one. Feel free to contact us on our 24/7 defense line at 1-800-342-7896. You can also contact us online or come visit us at one of our three statewide locations. We can also come to you.

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