Mass. man who threw pickle out of car window faces assault charge

A Massachusetts man found himself in a bit of a pickle this week.

Christoph Herrmannsdoerfer of Williamstown — about 61 miles northwest of Amherst — is facing an assault charge after allegedly throwing a “large pickle” out of the car he was in on Monday, only for the preserved cucumber to hit and injure a Vermont traffic worker, NECN reported Tuesday.

Herrmannsdoerfer was driving on Route 7 in Pownal, Vt. — the state’s southwesternmost town, just over the border from Williamstown — when the incident occurred and the pickle struck Carl Hoffman, “causing him pain.”

Hoffman, who works for the Agency of Transportation, was working near the Massachusetts border at the time of the bizarre incident.

Authorities tracked down Herrmannsdoerfer and issued the alleged pickle-wielding culprit a citation to appear in court on July 20, where he’ll be expected to answer to the charge of simple assault.

Anyone convicted of simple assault in Vermont faces prison for a maximum of one year, a fine not exceeding $1,000, or both “unless the offense is committed in a fight or scuffle entered into by mutual consent,” according to the state’s statutes.

In the latter case, an individual convicted of simple assault would face a maximum of 60 days behind bars, a fine no more than $500, or both.