Shopper told to wear a mask wipes face on worker’s shirt instead, Michigan video shows

When a man in Michigan was told he had to wear a mask inside Dollar Tree, he wiped his face on a worker’s shirt, police say.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, a man walked into the Holly store without wearing a mask, police said in a news release. When a worker saw him, she told the shopper that all customers were required to wear a mask in the store due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The policy was posted on the doors into the store, police say.

Surveillance video shows the man walking away from the worker before turning around and approaching her then wiping his face on the sleeve of her shirt.

He allegedly told the worker, “Here, I will use this as a mask,” police say.

The man continued to be loud and unruly in the store before leaving in what’s believed to have been a white Ford van, according to the release.

On Monday, police announced they’d made an arrest in the case after someone who saw the video tipped off investigators.

Rex Gomoll, 68, was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of assault and battery, WXYZ reported.

In a statement obtained by WXYZ, Dollar Tree lauded law enforcement for their efforts.

“We are appreciative of the work of the Holly Police Department in seeing this man’s irresponsible and unacceptable behavior toward our associate was addressed promptly,” the statement said, according to the outlet.

Holly is roughly 50 miles northwest of Detroit.

This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Shopper told to wear a mask wipes face on worker’s shirt instead, Michigan video shows."