Indictment: Morris County Chef Knowingly Tampered With Food By Spitting In It

The Mt. Olive pub chef who allegedly spit in a customer’s dish last October was indicted by a grand jury Thursday for knowingly tampering with food.

According to dailyrecord.com, John F. Stagg, 32, of Great Meadows, received the charge in Superior Court in Morristown, and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Stagg, a former employee of Kennedy’s Pub on Rt. 46 in Budd Lake, was arrested Oct. 19 after an employee of the restaurant called police to report health violations against the chef.

An investigation into the incident revealed Stagg allegedly spit into a customer’s food after it was sent back to the kitchen. The alleged victim, a 51-year-old Lake Hopatcong resident, was notified of the incident, police said.

The call to police came after Stagg’s colleague allegedly spotted him spitting on the bread that went with a pasta dish, the report said.

Stagg appeared in court in December and declined a plea offer of three years in prison, the report said. The extensive term offer came, in part, because of Stagg’s checkered past, which included a robbery conviction.

The pub has since come under new management, the report said.

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