Only in Florida.
Austin Simmons, 28, was arrested on Monday (Jan. 19) following an incident inside a Florida bus terminal which allegedly involved him striking another person with an opened ketchup packet. According to The Smoking Gun, Carlos Mora checked on a seemingly passed out Simmons, who "woke up irate," approached the victim, and threw the ketchup packet.
The arrest affidavit states Mora suffered "two spots of ketchup on his jacket" from the alleged condiment attack.
Officers wrote that they did notice the packet "on the ground opened with ketchup pouring out," but opted against taking it in as evidence.
Simmons has denied any wrongdoing, claiming he was simply "giving the victim a ketchup packet."
Even though an incident such as this would be treated as a misdemeanor battery, Simmons was charged with a third-degree felony because of a previous conviction for battery in 2019. After a search led to the discovery of a substance later identified as cocaine, Simmons was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.
If convicted, Simmons faces up to five years in prison. He's currently being held on a $5,000 bond.
