MEDFIELD, Mass. — Police in Medfield have filed criminal charges against a Starbucks worker for allegedly spitting into a police officer’s coffee cup.
The allegations surfaced in May when the officer went to the Starbucks on Main Street in Medfield.
The incident in question happened on May 25th, 2022.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Boston 25 News, a Norfolk police sergeant ordered a coffee. And he says at the time he was “in full uniform.”
He said he noticed a female Starbucks employee holding “a drink cup very close to her mouth.” The officer believes she then “spit into the cup.” After making the drink in the same cup, she called out the officer’s name and put that cup on the counter.
The officer never accepted the drink nor drank from the cup. He instead notified a store manager of what he believed happened and called Medfield Police.
Starbucks says they did an internal investigation into this officer’s complaint and couldn’t substantiate it.
A Starbucks spokesperson tells Boston 25 News; “We are aware of an allegation made by a Norfolk Police Officer that his drink was tampered with. We immediately moved to investigate but found the claims to be unsubstantiated.”
Medfield Police say they obtained a court order for surveillance video from inside the store. According to the complaint, they had probable cause to charge the employee.
The woman, whom Boston 25 News is not identifying at this time, is facing three charges including distributing food with a harmful substance, assault, and adulterated/misbranded food/drug.
The Starbucks spokesperson added; “At Starbucks, we have a deep respect for the law enforcement officers who keep our partners and communities safe. Everyone should expect a welcoming experience in our stores when they visit. We will continue to cooperate with authorities on the case in any way we can.”
Boston 25 News texted and called the woman named in the complaint. We did not yet get a response. She has not been arrested.
She’ll be summoned to appear in court on January 6th.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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