Police arrest man on charges he tried to spread coronavirus in Flint-area grocery store
From the upper Midwestern US, Michigan Live reports this incident in which a man purported to attempt to infect a Kroger grocery store with COVID-19 –
“FLINT, MI — Prosecutors have charged a Mount Morris man with three felonies after he allegedly touched several items in a grocery store while claiming to have COVID-19.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton has charged the 26-year-old man with harmful substance-personal falsely exposed, malicious destruction of police property, and assaulting, resisting, or obstructing police. The charges are five-, four-year, and two-year felonies, respectively.
Around 10:50 a.m. on Friday, March 27, Genesee Township police responded to the Kroger store at 7188 N. Saginaw Road for reports of a disorderly person. A store employee had called 911 saying a man was walking around the store with his hands down his pants and touching and pushing around shopping carts, all while saying he was infected with COVID-19, Leyton said.
The man was also verbally aggressive toward store employees and was grabbing shopping carts from customers in the store parking lot after they were done using them, Leyton said. When police arrived on the scene, they saw the man matching the suspect’s description in the parking lot. After a brief discussion with the man, an officer arrested him and took him to the Gensee County Jail where he remained lodged as of Saturday afternoon.
While police were taking him to the jail, the suspect kissed a window in the police vehicle, leaving visible residue in a seeming attempt to further spread the virus, Leyton said.
“This was a very disturbing incident that has placed many people in fear for their health and safety and has disrupted an already stressed situation as residents attempt to carry on with essential everyday routines,” Leyton said. “Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our community and we are doing everything we can to hold accountable people who would do harm to others in any fashion.”
MLive is not disclosing the suspect’s name until he is arraigned in Genesee County District Court.”
