Ahh, the sounds of summer. When Mr. Ding-A-Ling dared to drive his ice cream truck into the New York neighborhood of Gloversville, Sno Cone Joe’s response was immediate, and brusque, the San Francisco Chronicle reported: “You don’t have a chance! This is my town!”
Police then said Joshua Malatino, 34, and his girlfriend, Amanda Scott, 21, then embarked on a months-long campaign to drive out the 53-year-old Ding-A-Ling operator. One tactic, the San Francisco Chronicle reported: Whenever Dung-A-Ling approached a customer, Mr. Malatino would rush to the scene and offer free ice cream.
The ice cream truck war came to a head this week. Police finally arrested Mr. Malatino and his girlfriend and charged them with harassment and misdemeanor stalking, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
They face three months in jail. And it doesn’t look good for Mr. Malatino. Apparently, he’s known by police as a chronic ice cream truck aggressor.
“In the past, Malatino has been warned for this type of behavior,” said Capt. John Sira, explaining how Mr. Malatino had actually driven another ice cream vendor from town last summer, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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