North Carolina Man Live Streams Himself Walking Around Walmart Store Claiming He Has Coronavirus, Arrested
A North Carolina man was arrested Friday for spreading hoax news through a Facebook video claiming he was COVID-19 positive.
Albemarle Police arrested 31-year-old Justin Rhodes for streaming a Facebook Live video on March 18 while walking inside a Walmart store saying he tested positive for the virus.
In the video, Rhodes was seen walking through the store saying he tested positive for coronavirus. He also said he was "asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.”
“My throat is a little itchy, but other than that I’m not coughing, I feel great," he said in the video, adding that he knows it is a highly contagious disease but “I gotta eat too.”
Rhodes was seen showing very little regard for those around him by touching items and saying “If I got it, you all gonna get it too, that’s what I feel about it.”
He said he was at a local diner in the morning and had plans to go to a club later. The video not only went viral on Facebook but also crossed 4 million views on YouTube.
The police booked Rhodes and charged him with a felony for perpetrating a hoax in a public building and for disorderly conduct. He received a $10,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court on March 30.