PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — An employee at a South Florida bar is accused of slapping and spitting on a customer who she said was not tipping, authorities said.
Victoria Louise Rachel Jones, 28, of Hobe Sound, was arrested on Feb. 27 and charged with battery, according to an affidavit from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Jones is an employee at the Body Shop in Port St. Lucie, which calls itself a “topless nightclub” and sports bar, the Miami Herald reported.
“This is a place where money is thrown around everywhere.” She said it was not aggressive.https://t.co/pBTbXy2k8o
— WPEC CBS12 News (@CBS12) March 1, 2024
According to the affidavit, the victim was from nearby Fort Pierce.
Employees at the bar were allegedly upset that the victim had not “thrown any money at them,” which was “a common practice at the establishment,” the affidavit stated.
At 8:59 p.m. EST, the employee, later identified as Jones, allegedly slapped the victim twice and spit on him, WPEC-TV reported.
The victim had been buying alcoholic beverages at the bar and said that he did not see a sign stating it was mandatory to tip employees, according to the arrest report.
Jones told deputies that the victim was drunk, being rude to employees and following them around while verbally insulting them, the affidavit stated.
The sheriff’s office viewed surveillance video, which showed Jones and the victim talking at a table before she was shown throwing a stack of money at the man.
“This is a place where money is thrown everywhere,” she reportedly said, according to the affidavit.
Jones told the deputy that she was just “messing around” when she threw the cash. She claimed it was not an aggressive act, but added that the customer yelled that he had been slapped. The man also knocked over a table, Jones said.
A deputy watching the surveillance video observed Jones picking up cash and throwing it at the victim’s face, according to the affidavit. She was then observed leaning her head toward him “as if she was spitting.”
Jones was arrested. He was released at 12:18 a.m. EST on Feb. 28, online booking records show.
Jones will be arraigned in court on March 15, according to St. Lucie County online court records.
Port St. Lucie is approximately 125 miles southeast of downtown Orlando.
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