A DoorDash delivery man in Massachusetts was arrested on criminal harassment charges earlier this month after allegedly writing homophobic slurs on a gay couple’s order.
Matthew Butchard, 27, of East Sandwich, is alleged to have drawn a penis and the couple’s names, followed by the words “gay fags” on a Subway sandwich order. Butchard’s actions were allegedly recorded on a Snapchat video that showed him writing on the sandwich as he dropped it off in the driveway of the couple’s East Sandwich home on Sept. 17.
According to court documents, Colin Brady, 25, of Sandwich, was a participant in the incident but has not been charged, reports The Enterprise, a Cape Cod newspaper.
Police spoke with the couple and their 20-year-old son, who said this is not the first time that Butchard has harassed their family. The son told police he believes Butchard has targeted their family is because of his fathers’ same-sex relationship.
According to a report from the Sandwich Police Department, obtained by The Smoking Gun, the son claimed that Butchard had written posts attacking his fathers on social media in the past. When he confronted Butchard, Butchard allegedly told him: “I’ll spray paint both your dads’ cars if you come near me.”
See also: Georgia gay man finds car vandalized with anti-gay slurs and his tires slashed
The family also told police that they suspected Butchard of damaging their mailbox the week prior to the sandwich incident. The mailbox had been knocked to the ground and was surrounded by fast food wrappings and trash, while neighbors’ mailboxes had been left alone.
When asked by police why they didn’t report these previous incidents, the family expressed skepticism about the point of reporting the incidents.
A warrant was issued for Butchard’s arrest, charging him with criminal harassment, property damage to intimidate, and civil rights violation counts. Of those charges, criminal harassment would carry the longest possible sentence, of 30 months.
A spokesperson for DoorDash was not immediately available for comment.
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