A Pizza Hut employee in Erwin, Tennessee is now facing a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct after allegedly spitting in Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Frank Rogers’ food. According to WJHL, Rogers claims that this incident was an effort by Amanda Engle to get back at him for citing her with a DUI-related charge last year.
Rogers reportedly had placed a pick-up order for two pizzas Thursday night. Sheriff Mike Hensley said that on Rogers arrival, the pizza’s weren’t ready, so he took a seat and waited. As he watched Engle take the pizzas out of the oven, he says he watched her look towards him and then spit on his food.
“As the defendant removed the pizza from the oven I observed her cut her eyes and look at me,” Rogers said in the report said. “The defendant then leaned over the pizza that she had (started) to slice and I observed her spit on the pizza which had been purchased by me. I immediately called her attention to the matter and (asked) her if she knew me, she replied ‘yes you’re Frank Rogers.’”
In a report by The Smoking Gun , Engle had recently pleaded guilty in a DUI case from last year in which she was charged with drunk driving after allowing an intoxicated person drive her car. She was sentenced to two days in jail, a year of probation and fined $350.
Rogers stated that the Pizza Hut employee spit on his food out of retaliation because the DUI charges were “fresh on her mind.” Engle was arrested at the scene and transported to the Unicoi County Jail. Rogers stated that “The defendant (Engle) did; in a public place, create a hazardous or physically offensive condition by an act which served no legitimate purpose.”
Engle’s has denied all of the allegations saying that “this is a ridiculous accusation. I didn’t do it. I wouldn’t jeopardize my job or my family over this man.” Engle was then terminated and Pizza Hut said the following in a statement:
“We take any claim about our food very seriously. Food safety and cleanliness are top priorities for us, and the health department has since inspected the restaurant and given it a clean bill of health.”
Both Hensley and Rodgers have said that they do not blame Pizza Hut for what happened. According to Johnson City Press , Hensley said that they’ve had a good relationship with the restaurant. “Pizza Hut has been a good, reputable business in Unicoi County for several, several years,” Hensley said. “We’ve patronized the Pizza Hut and will continue to patronize it. It’s not their fault. It just boiled down to a bad employee.”
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