PD: Felon Charged With Dousing Sidewalk Musician With Soda

A city man with a record of arms and assault charges reportedly threw cola on a man playing an electric guitar on Main Street after tripping on the sidewalk, according to Middletown Police.

On July 31 at 7:44 p.m., police were called to the front of the Main Street Market about a disturbance between a man playing an electric guitar and Franklin Brown, 55, of Newfield Street, after he spilled soda on him, according to the report. 

Brown, who was seen by witnesses carrying a 1-liter bottle of Coca Cola, told police he tripped on a "crack" in the sidewalk, accidentally spilling the soda. The report says he pointed to the concrete paver seam between sidewalk portions as the culprit. 

The report says a witness saw Brown throw the soda on the victim's face and shirt, and the victim said he held the bottle out in front of him, explaining with, "I stumbled."

Brown was charged with breach of peace, according to the report.

According to the Connecticut Judicial website, Brown has three convictions for illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and disorderly conduct from Middletown in 2010, and a 2005 conviction for carrying a dangerous weapon from Manchester; and two pending cases — illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle from 2010, attempt to commit sexual assault, threatening, risk of injury and related charges from 2012, and motor vehicle charges from 2012.