Man sprays manure on US Border Protection car(Photo)

A man  is facing charges he sprayed liquid manure on a marked U.S. Customs and Border Protection car after confronting an agent about immigration enforcement.

Mark Johnson is due in court Thursday in North Hero to answer charges of assault and disorderly conduct from the Aug. 3 spraying at the edge of a farm field about 2 miles (3 kilometers) south of the Canadian border.



According to the Associated Press,Johnson, who does custom manure spreading, said he didn’t know the border patrol agent was behind him when he turned on his spreader. But the spraying came after he asked the agent in the car why authorities weren’t doing more to arrest immigrants who are in the country illegally and are working on Vermont farms.

Johnson, who’s from Alburgh, said the agent was rude.

He said Wednesday he felt immigrant farm workers had hurt his business.

“I used to go to all these farms, spread liquid manure and help them with chopping and everything else,” said Johnson, who’s 53 years old. “Then the illegals started coming in, more and more and more, and every time I see the border patrol I stop and ask them, ‘Can you please do something about it?’”

He said he’s told by the agents they can’t do anything about it.He said he didn’t realize what had happened until the sheriff’s department arrived an hour or so later to cite him.

He said he would represent himself in court on Thursday.