Man charged for spitting, coughing after refusing to wear mask at Florida Best Buy

A man at a Florida Best Buy was charged over the weekend with disorderly conduct for allegedly coughing and spitting throughout the store while refusing to wear a mask.

The incident occurred at a store location in Vero Beach when employees asked 51-year-old Alton George Ashby to cover his face multiple times to help prevent the possible spread of the coronavirus, the Orlando Sentinel reported Tuesday.

According to the arrest affidavit, Ashby first requested help at the Geek Squad counter but was denied service after refusing to cover his face. He then allegedly coughed and spat around the help desk before he “continued to walk around the connected department to do the same thing.”

Ashby’s arrest affidavit added he was accused of sneezing over counters, wiping hands across shelves, and pulling masks to the floor. After refusing to leave the store, he was later pulled over by police.

He told law enforcement he was having a challenging year and lost control of himself.

The incident is just one of a number that has been reported throughout the year when people have refused to comply with public health orders.

In March, a Pennsylvania woman was charged with making terroristic threats after she was accused of intentionally contaminating grocery store items by coughing and spitting on them.

Many retail corporations have resorted to forming their own required health and safety guidelines due to some states offering a more hands-off approach to state-wide pandemic guidelines.

In September, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) issued an executive order limiting local jurisdictions’ ability to impose mask enforcements and other restrictions.