Spitting in food doesn’t warrant felony charges

Frances Gablehouse

Frances Gablehouse

There’s no doubt law enforcement officers were furious when it was discovered a local Waffle House cook spit in food intended for a policeman. The anger is obvious by the overly harsh charges leveled against 18-year-old Homer Disher.

The teen faces two felony counts — including one that could land him in prison for up to six years. If that’s not enough, Disher was initially placed under $90,000 bond, which can only mean teen-age Waffle House employees pose a significant flight risk.

It should be made clear that spitting in food is not acceptable behavior. No one wants to think their restaurant food has been dropped on the floor, spit on, or tampered with in any way.

Police officers are easy targets for this type of abuse because they are the ones who thanklessly enforce the rules of our society. They write tickets and haul people to jail.

But police officers are also vital. We can’t do without them. A look at the anarchy that erupted in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is all the proof needed to show law and order must be maintained at all times.

Police officers put their lives on the line each and every day. They break up domestic disputes and arrest drug dealers. They deserve better than to have some smart aleck kid spit in their food and then make the comment “enjoy this.”

That said, officers went overboard in charging Disher with adulteration of food, a charge which carries three to six years in prison because it is meant to apply to food that has been intentionally poisoned.

The charge of retaliation for past action holds more water because Disher reportedly admitted he spit in the food because he was angry he was pulled over — even though he wasn’t issued a ticket. The charge retaliation for past actions is intended to protect people like jurors, officers and police informants from revenge. That’s why it’s a felony that was given teeth by a one- to two-year sentence.

But what puts this case in perspective more than anything else is the fact there are people convicted of making meth who spend a fraction of the time in jail that Disher faces. Nowadays it’s tough to pick up the newspaper and not read about a case of child abuse or child molestation.

There are serious crimes taking place throughout our community. They deserve attention more than a teen spitting in hashbrowns.

It’s easy to understand why a police officer is mad at having a cook spit in his food. It’s also easy to understand why police might want to make an example of this teen.

But once the outright anger settles and more rational thinking begins to sink in, playing hardball with a cook for spitting in food seems too harsh. If officers are eager to play hardball, they don’t have to worry. There are plenty of real criminals in this county that can be jailed for years and no one will ever say a word.