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A Cleveland man was charged Wednesday with falsely claiming that he had the coronavirus before he allegedly coughed in police officers’ faces during his arrest in March.
A four-count federal grand jury indictment charges Walter Ray Poindexter, 32, with false information and hoaxes, according to a press release from the Justice Department.
An Ohio man is facing charges that he lied to officers about having COVID-19 during his arrest earlier this year. (nccourts.gov)
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Court documents say police officers this past March 14 responded to calls of an intoxicated individual aboard a trolley in downtown Cleveland.
The man, later identified as Poindexter, was arrested and transported to the Cuyahoga County Jail due to an outstanding parole violation warrant in Franklin County.
Poindexter allegedly claimed during processing that he had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and was having difficulty breathing, the DOJ says.
While being transported to a county jail, Poindexter is accused of intentionally coughing into the faces of the police officers and the Cuyahoga County Jail nurse after repeatedly claiming that he had coronavirus.
Poindexter was then transferred to an area hospital for medical evaluation. Upon arriving in the emergency room, Poindexter allegedly claimed, once again, to have the coronavirus and began coughing on and spitting in the direction of the paramedics, police officers, and hospital staff.
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As paramedics were attempting to move Poindexter from the gurney to a hospital bed, he allegedly sat up and spat directly in the face of a paramedic. Both Poindexter and the paramedic were later tested for the coronavirus and the results came back negative.
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If convicted of the charges, Poindexter’s sentence will be determined by the Court after “review of factors unique to this case,” the DOJ said.
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