A former chef has been accused of spitting in food at a bar and grill located in the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive, NJ.
The 32-year-old suspect, who resides in Great Meadows NJ, was formerly a chef at Kennedy’s Pub on Route 46 in Mount Olive. He allegedly spat in the food of a Lake Hopatcong customer after the dish was sent back to the kitchen for additional cooking in October.
An employee of the restaurant actually notified police about the alleged spitting incident. The employee also reported several other health violations at the bar and grill.
The suspect was placed under arrest by Mount Olive police and charged with disorderly conduct and tampering with a food product. Since tampering with a food or drug product is classified as a felony-level offense, the case is slated to be heard in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown.
The suspect was scheduled to appear at Central Judicial Processing in superior court. However, he failed to show up for his mandatory court appearance; a warrant was issued for the arrest of the suspect a short time later.
The judge lifted the warrant a few hours later because the suspect finally showed up at court. This was the second time that the suspect missed a scheduled appearance at Central Judicial Processing, which is where judges are assigned to cases.
Meanwhile, Kennedy’s Pub was shut down for four months after the alleged spitting incident because a subsequent health inspection uncovered several code violations.
The restaurant, which is now under new management, is set to reopen soon. A Mount Olive health inspector recently declared that the restaurant is in compliance with the health code and that the kitchen is in satisfactory condition.
For more information, check out the NJ.com article entitled “Arrest Warrant Lifted for Ex-Chef Accused of Spitting in Food After He Shows Up in Court.”
