The incident happened Wednesday night when police went to the Motel Six on Buck Jones Road. They found, Mary L. Fritz, 16, whose mother had reported her as a runaway, police said.
Fritz was at the hotel with two other runaway girls, who were 15 years old, police said. While police tried to put Fritz into a police car around 11:15 p.m., she spit on an officer, said Lt. Tony Godwin, of the Cary Police Department.
"She had been abusive to the officer and when he put the seat belt on her, she spit in his face," Godwin said. "Instead of going home, she went to jail."
The charge of aggravated assault stems from law changes in the last few years that increase the charge for spitting, police said.
As of noon Friday, Fritz was still in the Wake County Jail under a $5,000 secured bond.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
