A Jacksonville, Fla., KFC worker committed restaurant health violations, then was arrested after hitting a customer with chicken, police say.
The first incident being caught on video led to the second incident, also caught on video, both from the night of Dec. 29.
Ronald Jenkins called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that night and showed them video from his visit to the KFC at 2258 Edgewood Ave. In the video, Jenkins notes that the woman working the drive-through window, Shade Simmons, handles his payment then goes directly to handling food without washing her hands or donning gloves.
(In Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections, that would be considered a High Priority violation. Among that KFC’s seven violations on its July 13, 2018 inspection was an Intermediate violation for “handwash sink blocked by white fan in drive-thru area.” The store remained open, but it required a follow up inspection, which was passed.)
Jenkins begins to record Simmons. Simmons returns to the window to ask, “Why was you recording?”
Jenkins replies, “Whatever I wish. This is America, remember? You forgot where you live?”
As Simmons gave her opinion via the middle finger, then returned to fixing the order, Jenkins said, “This is the United States of America. Recording you fixing food with no gloves, no nothing, just take my money ... .”
Upon return, Simmons opened the drive-through window and at least swings, if not flings, the bag of food at Jenkins and definitely hits his recording device. The JSO officer watching the video put in the arrest report that Simmons “tossed the food at Jenkins, striking him in the face.”
The sheriff’s officer said Simmons' version was that Jenkins “snatched the food away from her” and “when Jenkins attempted to snatch the food, she let go of it and observed the food land in Jenkins' lap.”
Instead of just issuing Simmons a Notice to Appear and sending her on her way, the officer arrested her on a charge of misdemeanor battery with no injury. She spent two days in county jail before posting $5,003 bond.
“Simmons was not eligible for an NTA due to her admitting that she would not show up to the court date,” the officer wrote.