DOVER — A Berwick, Maine, man turned himself into police Friday afternoon on a simple assault warrant alleging that he threw a sandwich at a deli clerk last weekend.



Capt. Michael Raiche said the incident happened Oct. 17 at Duston's Bakery & Deli on Portland Avenue.



Forty-year-old Thomas Goulet entered the store and ordered a few sandwiches. Raiche said the clerk prepared the sandwich for Goulet's son but had questions about Goulet's order. However, Goulet was on the phone and she couldn't ask those questions so she proceeded to do other job functions while she was waiting for Goulet to get off the phone, according to Raiche.



Raiche said Goulet became angry when he got off the phone and saw that his sandwich wasn't finished and called her a vulgar name.



"He then took the sandwich that was already made for his son and threw it at her face," Raiche said.



The clerk was struck in the face, but unhurt by the flying sandwich, which police have yet to identify.



The incident was witnessed by another clerk and multiple customers, according to Raiche. Goulet left the store before police arrived, but witnesses were able to copy down his vehicle description and license plate number.



An officer later contacted Goulet by phone to confront him about the incident and Goulet allegedly denied throwing the sandwich.



"He admitted to being there," Raiche said. "He claimed he was treated poorly and didn't throw a sandwich at anyone and the customers were getting aggressive toward him and he left."



Raiche said officers decided they had enough written statements indicating that he threw the sandwich and decided to move forward with a Class B misdemeanor simple assault charge.



"You don't have to hurt someone for it to be simple assault; it's unwanted physical contact," he said. "You just can't throw something at someone like that."



Goulet of 428 Portland Ave. was released on $500 personal recognizance bail and is scheduled for arraignment at Dover District Court on Dec. 3.



In an unrelated incident, police were called to the Hannaford on Central Avenue that same day for another incident involving an unruly customer.



In that case a man was unpleased that customer service associates refused to cash a third party check he was trying to cash. The man then knocked over a bunch of shopping baskets and spit on the manager.



Police have yet to charge that man with a crime but Raiche said police are drafting warrants charging the man with simple assault and disorderly conduct.