Last month, Crazy America reported on the case of the “coronavirus cougher”, a woman in New Jersey who deliberately coughed on a police officer claiming she had the virus to distract him from arresting her.
Then, we brought you the story of another woman who brutally assaulted her immediate family, blaming the outburst – you’ve guessed it – on the pandemic.
These are only a couple of the many cases of Corona Derangement Syndrome (CDS) that have, over these past few weeks, been making America even more crazy than usual.
But now, the heinous actions of a loon in Florida really take the cake.
The man has been accused of spraying contents from a bottle labeled “COVID-19” around the door of an unidentified business at the weekend, according to officials from Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
David Randolph White, 50, was arrested on a charge of attempted or threatened use of a weapon or hoax weapon of mass destruction, Newsweek reported. He has been detained in the Duval County Jail.
According to a Facebook post, officers were called to the business to investigate a report of “intentional COVID-19 contamination.” Witnesses told investigators that the man sprayed the substance on and around the doors, the post said.
“The suspect reportedly made statements to the employees and patrons in the area that they were now infected with COVID-19,” police said in the report.
Fortunately, local cops immediately got help from the Feds, given the seriousness of the offense.
White was quickly identified through a combined effort of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the local Sheriff’s Office’s Intelligence Unit. He was then questioned and arrested, police said.
The premises that were allegedly targeted by White were cleaned and sanitized. No details have yet been provided on the nature of the business or what the attacker’s motive may have been.
Jail records did not list a lawyer for White.
The US Justice Department is taking a tough approach to crimes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen wrote in a memo last week that criminal activity exploiting the outbreak or targeting the public could be met with terrorism-related charges.
Rosen wrote in the letter: “Because coronavirus appears to be the statutory definition of a ‘biological agent’… such acts potentially could implicate the nation’s terrorism-related statutes. Threats or attempts to use COVID-19 as a weapon against Americans will not be tolerated.”