Jacksonville: At least 4 arrested for coronavirus-related crimes, police say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it has arrested at least four people in the last couple weeks for coronavirus-related crimes.

Most recently, Damien Samuels was arrested for allegedly jumping the fence to the Lot J testing area Monday.

Thursday, JSO said after being arrested for vandalism, Joseph Juymohan spat on an officer and a nurse. They said he had previously made statements of having COVID-19.

“We haven’t had a rash of those, we’ve had a few,” Sheriff Mike Williams said Tuesday. “And we’ve got processes in place to, obviously, interact with the suspects.”

At the end of March, Action News Jax told you JSO arrested David White for using a hoax weapon of mass destruction after he sprayed a substance labeled COVID-19 on the doors of a local business.

Days later, police said Sarah McCord coughed on an officer, claiming she had coronavirus.

It led the State Attorney’s Office to issue a “zero tolerance policy” for “intentional COVID-19-related criminal conduct that either harms or threatens to harm” police or first responders.

Due in part to crimes like this, Mayor Lenny Curry has considered more public restrictions.

“The option of a curfew is certainly on the table and I’m possibly willing to go there," Curry said. “I just need to continue evaluating that with our sheriff, and others."

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