Yellowknife (Mar 26/03) - A man who tossed his chicken dinner at a police officer received a $2,300 fine in territorial court last Friday.

On Sept. 11 at the Gold Range Cafe, Garry Johnson argued with a waitress about whether he should pay for his coffee. According to defence lawyer Clark Rehn, there were some "legitimate issues about whether the coffee had been ordered."

The argument escalated and Johnson twisted the waitress' arm. Another employee intervened and persuaded the man to leave.

Const. Colin Allooloo arrived shortly after and located a man who matched the suspect's description a few doors away at the Cornermart restaurant. He was eating a chicken dinner.

Allooloo called out his name. When Johnson looked up, Allooloo placed him under arrest and asked the waiter to put his food in a take-out container.

That's when Johnson threw his chicken and sauce at the officer.

Allooloo yelled at Johnson to stop, pushed him to the ground and charged him with assaulting a peace officer.

"Do you know if the officer was hit by any of the chicken?" asked Judge Brian Bruser.

"I don't think he was," said Crown counsel Darren Mahoney.

Allooloo declined to give a victim impact statement.

Mahoney asked the judge to sentence Johnson to 30 days in jail.

Defence lawyer Clark Rehn told the court the accused, a hard-working diamond driller, apologized to the officer after the incident. He asked for a stiff fine instead of incarceration.

"Sometimes a strong slap to the pocketbook is often a deterrent," he said.

Judge Bruser called the man's criminal record disturbing.

"It's good that you work hard and there's nothing wrong with drinking hard if you can handle it in responsible ways. You don't handle it in responsible ways. That's why you're here."

Police have to put up with far too much drunken aggression, said Bruser.

"Const. Allooloo has the responsibility to serve and protect. And I don't mean to serve food."

Johnson was also charged and convicted of breaching a probation condition not to consume alcohol.

Bruser fined him $1,000 for the breach and $1,000 for assaulting the police officer. He was also ordered to pay a $350 victims of crime surcharge.