An individual in Tyler County, Texas was charged Tuesday night for falsely claiming in a social media post that they were infected with the novel coronavirus in what is believed to be the first arrest related to the pandemic.
Michael Lane Brandin, 23, of Woodville, Texas, was arrested after he falsely claimed he tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, at a local hospital, according to the Tyler County District Attorney’s Office.
“Over the weekend, an individual in Tyler County falsely reported on social media that the individual tested positive for COVID-19 at Tyler County Hospital. The case was promptly investigated by the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office and delivered to the District Attorney’s Office,” the district attorney’s office said in a Facebook post.
Authorities said Mr. Brandin made the post as “social experiment” to make the point “you cannot believe everything you view online.” He also posted that the virus had become airborne.
Mr. Brandin has been charged with false alarm/false report, a Class A misdemeanor. He turned himself in and bond has been set at $1,000.
Tyler County prosecutors warned in a separate post that “knowingly communicating a false report/false alarm of COVID-19 that one knows is ’false or baseless’” could result in criminal charges.
Police across the country have been cracking down on false reporting of the coronavirus spread, but the Tyler County case is the first known arrest and indictment.
Police in Newark, New Jersey, last week warned that “any false reporting of the coronavirus in our city” will result in criminal prosecution.
As of Wednesday morning, there were roughly 6,524 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States and 116 deaths.
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