Report: Woman intentionally spreads spit at Sumter sub shop

In defiance of social distancing guidelines and everyday etiquette, a woman reportedly went on a licking spree at a Sumter sandwich shop.

At about 2:10 p.m. Monday, a woman ordered a sub, chips and a drink at Sub Station II on Peach Orchard Road, according to an incident report from the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.

The restaurant manager told deputies the woman licked her fingers as she was getting her cash to give the clerk. The woman then continued licking her palm and spread her hand over the card reader.

While workers made her sub, the woman licked quarters and placed them in the tip jar. According to the report, she then left the store without her sub and chips, threw away her drink and stated, "It's in God's hands now."

The manager told deputies the woman stated she would return to the restaurant.

Deputies went to other restaurants in the area in hopes to locate the woman, but she was not found.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened," said John Ruffalo, chief financial officer for Sub Station II. "It was just craziness."

Ruffalo said the woman was laughing at the situation, and it baffled him and his employees, especially because she spent more than $15 on the meal and left without it.

"This was one of those things that there's no explanation for it," Ruffalo said.

Once the woman left, he said, an employee sanitized the restaurant because the workers had no idea what she did or did not touch.

"This incident is unsettling, especially given the situation with COVID-19," said Deputy Adrienne Sarvis, public information officer for the Sumter County Sheriff's Office. "Our investigations division is looking into this and researching possible charges for the subject when she is identified because of this unique situation."