Fort Worth-area man tells officer he has coronavirus, coughs in his face, police say
A 27-year-old man who ran up to a Grapevine police officer, told him he had COVID-19 and coughed into the officer’s face is charged with harassment, Grapevine police said Tuesday.
The man later told Grapevine police it was a joke.
Grapevine police identified the suspect as Jonathan Dechoudens of Grapevine.
The incident occurred about 12:45 a.m. Friday as the Grapevine officer was sitting in his marked patrol unit in a parking lot on Northwest Highway in Grapevine.
The officer had his driver’s window down.
At some point, Dechoudens is accused of running up to the car on the driver’s side, coughing in the officer’s face and telling him he had coronavirus.
Fearing being exposed to the potentially deadly virus, the Grapevine officer called other officers and medics to the scene to screen Dechoudens.
Dechoudens was later arrested and booked into the Grapevine jail on a charge of terroristic threat. The charge was later changed to harassment of a public servant after consulting with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.
He was later taken to the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, where he was released on $2,000 bond.
Since the incident, the Grapevine officer remains free of symptoms and he’s monitored every day. His temperature is checked each shift as are all employees who enter the Grapevine Public Safety Building.
Grapevine police noted that anyone who claims to have the virus and tries to give it to someone else will be charged.
On Tuesday morning, Carrollton police arrested an 18-year-old who recorded herself inside a Walmart after she said she tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday and was spreading it.
Carrollton police identified the teenager as Lorraine Maradiaga. Police said Maradiaga is being charged with making a terrorist threat.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 3:06 PM.
