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Wasabi assault charges dismissed against Cape man

BARNSTABLE (AP) - Authorities have dismissed charges against a Barnstable man accused of assaulting his girlfriend with a pair of designer jeans he had doused in wasabi sauce.

The Cape Cod Times reports that the charges were dismissed Wednesday in Barnstable District Court after a witness failed to appear.

John McGuinness was charged June 8 with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and intimidation of a witness after he allegedly struck the victim in the face with a pair of $200 jeans that he had covered in green wasabi sauce after an argument. Police say he was angry because his girlfriend had received a text message from another man as they drove home from a bar.

Authorities say the woman got the pungent Japanese sauce in her eyes.