A Chicago Dunkin' worker was arrested on suspicion of spitting in a state trooper's coffee

• A worker at a Chicago Dunkin' was arrested Saturday on suspicion of spitting in a state trooper's coffee.
• According to the state police, the trooper ordered a large black coffee Thursday night and removed the lid because the beverage was hot.
• "The Trooper observed a large, thick piece of mucus which was later confirmed to be saliva, floating inside it," the state police told NBC News.
• The police investigated, and the worker, identified by NBC News as Vincent J. Sessler, was reportedly arrested the next day on suspicion of battery and disorderly conduct.

A Chicago Dunkin' worker was arrested Saturday on suspicion of spitting on a state trooper's coffee.

NBC News reported that the accusation involved a Dunkin' near Chicago Midway International Airport on Thursday night. The Illinois State Police told the news outlet that the trooper ordered a large black coffee and then removed the lid since the drink was "extremely hot."

"The Trooper observed a large, thick piece of mucus which was later confirmed to be saliva, floating inside it," the state police said in a statement, according to NBC News.

After an investigation by state troopers, law enforcement subsequently arrested the worker, identified as Vincent J. Sessler, on suspicion of battery on a peace officer, disorderly conduct, and reckless conduct, per NBC News.

Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said in a statement that the Dunkin' location in question would be off-limits to officers and employees "for their safety" and called the incident "outrageous and disgusting," according to NBC News.

"The men and women of the Illinois State Police put their heart and soul into protecting the lives and rights of all people in this state every day," Kelly said. "They deserve better than this."

The incident is the latest in a series of recent tensions between restaurant workers and law-enforcement officers amid nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.

In July, several Five Guys employees in Alabama were fired after refusing to serve a group of police officers.

And in June, an off-duty Los Angeles police officer encountered a mysterious cloth substance in his drink from a Starbucks and claimed it was a tampon placed there "intentionally" because he was a member of law enforcement.

A subsequent investigation found that the "furry cloth substance" was not a tampon and could have been a cleaning cloth used by employees, according to CNN, and investigators were "unable to prove malicious intent on the part of the store employee."

Also in June, two New York City police unions falsely suggested that Shake Shack employees had tried to poison a group of police officers who had complained of tasting a suspicious substance in their milkshakes. An investigation quickly found no evidence of foul play and concluded the taste most likely came from an improperly cleaned milkshake machine.

• Read more:
• NYPD finds 'no criminality' by Shake Shack employees after 3 officers were sickened and taken to a hospital after drinking milkshakes
• NYPD officers claiming they were 'poisoned' at a Shake Shack shows how broken policing is
• Five Guys employees were fired for refusing to serve police officers in Alabama, as tension mounts between service workers and law enforcement