Thou Shalt Not Expectorate

The future was looking none too bright for John Carl Marquez when he was arrested on suspicion of beating his wife and faced a year in prison. But when the Oklahoma man spat on the face of an arresting police officer, his fate was sealed. A state judge sentenced Marquez, 35, to life in prison for "placing bodily fluid upon a government employee," since Marquez could have transmitted a potentially deadly disease. Even though Marquez and the officer tested negative for any communicable diseases, the judge followed the jury's recommendations and slapped Marquez with a lifetime of jail time for hurling bodily fluids because of his prior felonies. His lawyers plan to appeal.