Man Who Smacked Hand of Bexar Judge Nelson Wolff Over Mask Ordinance Turns Himself In
- Screen Capture / KSAT 12
- County Judge Nelson Wolff speaks during a recent coronavirus press briefing.
Wednesday’s dustup between a shopper angry about the local mask ordinance and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff — the rule’s architect — ended with the mask-averse man turning himself in to face an assault charge.
Terry Toller, 47, reported to authorities Thursday morning on a second-degree felony warrant for assault on a peace officer or judge, county officials told KSAT. The charge was subsequently lowered to a misdemeanor, his attorney told the station.
In a statement supplied to the Current, Wolff said he called the district attorney’s office to say he didn’t want to pursue criminal charges.
“I did not want this to be a distraction of our main focus of requiring businesses to have customers wear masks and continuing to ensure the health and safety of everyone in our community,” Wolff said. “We are experiencing a drastic rise in cases and hospitalizations and it is my understanding that those numbers will go up exponentially today. We do not need any distractions from our mission to make sure this virus does not continue to spread within our community.”
The original fracas ensued after Toller blew up at a home improvement store employee when she told him he needed to wear a mask inside the building. Wolff, who was standing in the next checkout aisle, tried to calm the man by handing over a business card and inviting him to call and vent.
Instead of taking the card, Toller struck it from Wolff’s hand and exited the store, according to the judge’s account.
Anyone needing a blow-by-blow for the encounter can find it here. Anyone scratching their head over why some folks get so fucking pissy about masks can find that here.
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