A Michigan man has been arrested after wiping his nose on the shirt of a Dollar Tree employee, an act that was caught on surveillance video. Rex Howard Gomoll, 68, of Linden, has been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery after police were tipped off about his identity following the release of the footage on Saturday, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gomoll entered the store and was confronted by a female employee about not wearing a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic. He would have had to walk by and ignore several signs noting that such masks were required at the locations, police said.

“Here, I will just use this as a mask,” Gomoll said before wiping his nose on the employee’s shirt sleeve. According to police, he continued to be rude and confrontational as he left the store and got into a white van.

Police arrested Gomoll on Monday and booked him at Oakland County Jail. He was set to be arraigned on Tuesday.

This incident comes after a fatal confrontation in Michigan between store patrons and a security guard. A security guard in Flint was shot and killed Friday after getting into an altercation with a Family Dollar store customer he confronted for not wearing a mask.

In recent weeks, Michigan has become a hotbed for protests against the continued enforcement of restrictions put in place to stem the flow of COVID-19. Largely enacted by right-wing entities and spurred on by President Trump, Michigan protestors have called for Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to lift these restrictions, against the recommendations of health experts.

A protestor with a sign depicting Governor Gretchen Whitmer as Adolph Hitler is seen outside the Michigan state capitol in Lansing on April 30, 2020
A protestor with a sign depicting Governor Gretchen Whitmer as Adolph Hitler is seen outside the Michigan state capitol in Lansing on April 30, 2020 AFP / JEFF KOWALSKY
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