Man Arrested After Chucking Wine Bottles at Safeway

A plainclothes detective from the investigating something at the downtown store put that chore on hold and arrested a belligerent man who started throwing and shattering wine bottles.

The incident took place Wednesday during the lunch hour when the detective was gathering information on a different case at the Novato Fair shopping center grocery store, Novato police Lt. Keith Heiden said. While talking to a citizen, the detective heard a man screaming that somebody should call Novato police. The officer followed the sound of breaking glass and found a man pacing in front of the cashier aisle, yelling that somebody should call police, and smashing bottles of wine.

The detective arrested David Norman Baty, 51, of Novato, who faces misdemeanor charges of being drunk in public and malicious mischief/vandalism, according to the Marin County Jail booking log. Baty, a carpenter, was later found to be a nonviolent state parolee, which resulted in an additional felony charge.