Arguments over food have become common in domestic situations. But for one Athens, Georgia, man his wife crossed the line when she made him a grilled cheese sandwich. For James De Paola, 55, the sandwich he requested from his wife was too cheesy because she used three slices of cheese instead of his requested two.
De Paola became so enraged that he confronted his wife angrily in the kitchen and shouted at her so hard, spit flew into her face. His wife, identified as Michele De Paola, told her children to call 911 because her husband had been violent in the past. When the couple’s daughter tried to get to the phone, her father blocked her way and then ripped the cord from the outlet and threw it across the room. Another daughter was able to reach her mom’s cellphone and dialed 911. Police soon arrived at the home and investigated the situation. James De Paola told officers he thought his wife’s reason for calling 911 was “stupid.” His wife explained that although she was not hit or injured she was afraid for herself and the children because of his past violent behavior. Because of his actions he was charged with obstruction of a 911 call and criminal trespass/damage to property.
Fortunately, the fight did not become physically violent as other tragic domestic food encounters. In 2015, there was an incident in Houston where a man was stabbed because he ate the last piece of fried chicken. Also in Texas, a man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he stabbed his girlfriend with a kitchen knife because she brought home pizza when he had asked for a chicken sandwich for lunch. In another fight, a man became enraged after coming home from work to find that someone had eaten the “big piece of chicken.” The man, identified as Desmond Brownlee, was so upset he hit and choked his wife.
