DOCUMENT: Crime

Jail For Dope Who Spit On Trump Supporter

Floridian sentenced to 90 days in county lockup

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MAGA Hat Attack

JANUARY 9--The man arrested for spitting on a fellow restaurant patron who was wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat today was sentenced to 90 days in jail by a Florida judge who also ordered the Donald Trump detractor to serve 12 months probation upon his release from custody, records show.

Matthias Ajple, a 43-year-old engineer, was taken into custody following his sentencing this morning for battery. Ajple, who pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor count, was also directed to pay about $700 in fines and court costs.

Additionally, a judge ordered Ajple to have no contact with Robert Youngblood, the 67-year-old Trump supporter who Ajple spit on in late-October at the Hurricane Grill & Wings restaurant in Vero Beach. Ajple must also pay Youngblood $155 in restitution.

According to an arrest affidavit, Ajple initially approached Youngblood while the Trump fan was seated at the bar with two friends. “You should go back to Russia you fucking communist,” Ajple told Youngblood before he slapped the brim of Youngblood’s red MAGA hat.

Ajple, who was at the eatery with his wife, later “spit on Youngblood and then left the scene,” cops charged. Youngblood wrote down the license plate of the car his assailant drove away in and provided it to police.

Ajple is a registered Democrat, while Youngblood is a registered Republican, according to Florida state voter records.

When questioned by police, Ajple claimed that, “I was just trying to protect you guys because I support law enforcement. Trump supporters are communist and racist.” He added, “I don’t even care that I’m going to jail, this is actually exciting. Plus, I have more time on this earth than he does anyway, he probably feels so good about himself.”

Ajple’s sentencing does not end his legal entanglements over the spitting incident. In mid-November, Youngblood filed a civil suit against Ajple and his wife that accuses the couple of assault, battery, and conspiracy and seeks in excess of $15,000 in damages. Youngblood’s complaint includes still images from the restaurant’s security camera that show Ajple striking Youngblood’s MAGA cap and then appearing to spit.

According to the lawsuit, at the time of the October 25 spitting incident, Youngblood “had just undergone cancer surgery and had 17 stitches on his neck.” Youngblood, the complaint alleges, suffered emotional distress “when Ajple spit on and about him including the area of his recent cancer surgery.” (3 pages)