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SoCal deputy charged with adding dash of pepper spray to pizza

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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Prosecutors said they filed a charge against a California deputy sheriff who allegedly seasoned a take-out pizza with pepper spray during a traffic stop.

Orange County Deputy Juan Tavera will be arraigned in Newport Beach Monday on a misdemeanor assault and battery charge for the alleged incident that resulted in five people becoming ill after unwittingly eating the tainted pizza.

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The Orange County District Attorney's office said the alleged incident occurred last fall in Laguna Hills, when Tavera and another deputy stopped the alleged victim's car. Tavera allegedly saw a pizza in the back seat and for unknown reasons gave it a blast of irritating pepper spray when no one was looking.

After the teen and a group of friends became sick that night, he reported his suspicion to the sheriff's department, the Los Angeles Times said.

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