An 18-year-old woman in Carrollton, Texas has been arrested a couple of days after she allegedly went on Snapchat and threatened to “infest every motherfucker” in Walmart with coronavirus.
Lorraine Maradiaga was arrested and booked on Tuesday after her surrender was reportedly arranged. Denton County Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show that the defendant faces a charge for a terroristic threat. The records say the alleged threat placed the public or a substantial group of the public in fear of serious bodily injury. That tracks to Texas Penal Code § 22.07 (a)(5), which is a third-degree felony.
Her bond has been set at $20,000 with conditions. Those conditions include three weeks of quarantine after the defendant is released, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
The absurd incident(s) that led to all of this trouble happened on Sunday. Maradiaga allegedly said on social media that she was spreading coronavirus to others on purpose while out and about.
“We have no confirmation Maradiaga is actually a threat to public health,” officials wrote at the time. “We are, however, taking her social media actions very seriously.”
The charge stemmed from a number of Snapchat videos. One clip showed a driver going through a drive-thru testing site; a nurse told the person to wait at home for results.
We have identified the woman seen on social media claiming to be COVID-19 positive as 18-year-old Lorraine Maradiaga and are charging her with Terroristic Threat, Texas Penal Code 22.07.
We have not located her yet. Tips: (972) 466-3333 or [email protected]. pic.twitter.com/KySDDXL2RH
— Carrollton TX Police (@CarrolltonTXPD) April 5, 2020
Another video apparently showed the defendant walking through a Walmart.
“I’m here at Walmart about to infest every motherfucker, because if I’m going down, all you motherfuckers are going down,” she said. “If you want to get the coronavirus and fucking die, call me. I’ll meet you up and (she coughs) and I will shorten your life.”
Another video was … well, we’ll let it speak for itself.
https://twitter.com/saman4ha/status/1246545172273528833
The defendant’s family cooperated with authorities.
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report.
[Image via Denton County Jail]
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