LAKEWOOD — Here’s a message from the Lakewood-Busti Police Department: Don’t wipe your sweat on an officer in the middle of a pandemic, unless you want to get charged.

The department got called to find an alleged Walmart thief about 3:50 p.m. Saturday. Officers quickly located the suspect, Shawm Garrett, 39, of Jamestown, who allegedly made off with a backpack worth $18.98. He was transported back to Walmart for processing. While there, he “intentionally wiped his sweaty forehead on an officer’s bare arm,” according to the police press release.

That netted Garrett a third-degree menacing charge, due to COVID-19 transmission concerns. He also faces a third-degree burglary charge because he was previously issued a trespass warning at Walmart. In addition, he was charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of a hypodermic needle. Garrett was taken to Chautauqua County jail for centralized arraignment.