The man feared the ice cream truck would spread the coronavirus to the neighborhood children.

UPDATE: On July 21, 2020, Jaymes Chigos pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of burglary of a conveyance and Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Joseph Marx sentenced him to a year's probation. ORIGINAL STORY: BOCA RATON — At the sound of an ice cream truck jingle, a Boca Raton-area man came running Tuesday evening, not for a frozen treat but, he told authorities, to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Jaymes Chigos worried about the children in the Lakes of Boca Raton community, he told a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputy, and feared that the ice cream man may spread the deadly virus.

So Chigos told the driver, a 51-year-old Davie man, to leave the neighborhood. When he merely drove around the block, Chigos stormed into the truck, swore at the driver and pushed him into a wall, witnesses told the deputy.

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Authorities arrested Chigos on a charge of burglary with assault. On Wednesday a judge ordered that the 39-year-old who lives in the community northwest of State Road 7 and Yamato Road remain jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail.

The ice cream man told authorities that when Chigos again approached his truck, he picked up a tire iron to protect himself. However, Chigos wrestled it away, then pushed him, the man said.

Chigos said he grabbed the tire iron to protect himself and again demanded that the man leave the neighborhood.

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Chigos' arrest came hours after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered bars and nightclubs close for the next 30 days and encouraged restaurants to remain open, as long as they have fewer than half of their customer capacity.

His order makes no specific mention of ice cream trucks.

Health and government officials repeatedly have stressed the importance of social distancing and avoiding crowds as the CDC warns that the virus can spread through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects.

Chigos could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

ohitchcock@pbpost.com

@ohitchcock

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