RURAL HALL, N.C. — Forsyth County deputies have charged Shannon Adkins, 50, for throwing hot soup on a teenage restaurant employee in Rural Hall Tuesday.
The video shows Adkins showing her phone to one of the workers behind the counter. She seems fairly calm until she abruptly grabs a container of soup and slings it at the employee behind the counter.
17-year-old, Annie Tayson grabs the bottom of her shirt to keep the hot liquid from touching her skin, while the customer continues to throw more items at her.
The teen's mother, Denise Tayson says Annie is being treated for first-degree burns but is handling the situation well.
"She's not a victim, she's very strong and very mature, she was shocked of course, that this is another mother, someone my age, her own mother's age who has assaulted her. Mothers don't do that, mothers do not assault other women's children," said Tayson.
Forsyth County deputies responded to the assault at the Mayflower Restaurant on Montroyal Road around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Mayflower co-owner, Maria Hodges said the soup was thrown after Adkins's card was declined three times.
Hodges says the restaurant employs younger folks through high school work programs giving many of them their first opportunity in the workforce.
She says in the last 40 years of her career, she's never experienced anything quite like this.
"We strive to keep it a family clean environment, safe environment for all the employees, for ourselves, for the customers and now you're just kind of left with questions of what else can we do," said Hodges.
Hodges says there are safety protocols in place at the restaurant. They have security cameras and owners on duty to handle issues that may arise.
Adkins left the restaurant before deputies arrived and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Whitson Frye with the Forsyth County sheriff's office says instances like these are rare, "We take assault type calls all the time, it's not every day that we get an assault call where food is used as a weapon."
According to deputies, Adkins turned herself in on Wednesday afternoon. She was charged with misdemeanor Simple Assault.
Hodges says Adkins is not welcome back into the establishment.
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