A 49-year-old man faces charges of being threatening and disorderly conduct after he was reported to police for allegedly stabbing a watermelon in a passive aggressive manner.

Police say Carmine Cervellino’s wife had gone to police on July 4 to report finding drugs, including marijuana, in her husband's tool box. According to the Register Citizen, the woman later returned home to find a watermelon sitting on the countertop, which had been pierced by a large butcher’s knife.

The woman is then reported to have taken a picture of the knife and shown it to the police, claiming her husband was displaying “passive-aggressive” tactics to “intimidate her because he is angry at her,” a police report said.

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Mr Cervellino, of Hickory Hill Road, Thomaston, Connecticut, was then charged on 12 July, according to court records, and was released from custody after paying a $500 (£292) bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court on 28 August.

Police Chief Jim Campbell told WCBS 880: “In taking domestic violence very seriously here, we took this information, submitted it in an affidavit, which we’re bound to do here in the state.”

The couple are currently going through the process of a divorce, according to reports. Cervellino has not yet responded to local request for comment.