JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UPDATE, 7/7/2020: Charges against David White were dropped on June 30, according to court records.
Original story from 3/31/2020 below:
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested 50-year-old David White for using a hoax weapon of mass destruction after he sprayed a substance labeled “COVID-19” on the doors and entrance of a Jacksonville business.
JSO said White told employees and patrons of the business, Pet Supermarket on Atlantic Boulevard, they were now infected with coronavirus after he sprayed the substance.
#JSO has arrested a subject for a COVID-19 threat at a local business. David R. White (W/M 50) arrested after spraying an unknown substance on the entrance doors and threatening patrons with COVID-19. For more, go to: https://t.co/G6Gng67vy5 pic.twitter.com/HCH7CrVlYi
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) March 30, 2020
JSO’s Intelligence Unit and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the incident and identified White as the suspect.
The business took precautionary measures to sanitize the area where White sprayed the substance.
JSO said this arrest is the agency’s first COVID-19 related arrest.
For live updates on the coronavirus, click here.
Interactive map: Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard | Interactive Map: Coronavirus cases around the world
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