We’ve probably said something like this before, but it bears repeating: This time last year, we never thought we’d be writing about a new genre of coughing-related crimes. And yet here we are. This is life now.
Cecelia Flores is charged with terroristic hoax, according to KFOR. Police said they were called to her home after she was allegedly attempting to drive away while drunk. Apparently, that situation got diffused, and officers set out to leave. No arrests.
Well, things got heated in video published online. As seen on footage, an officer set out to leave, and a woman (identified by police as Flores) reached out to shake his hand.
“I appreciate you, sir,” she said.
He refused the handshake.
“Well you ain’t got to,” the woman said, appearing insulted.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s this coronavirus going around,” the officer said.
Her response: she theatrically coughed and sneezed.
“Achoo!” she said. “I got it. What’s up.”
From zero to dry cough, so to speak.
Officers appeared none too pleased about what happened. A cop questioned her on whether she really had COVID-19, and she denied.
“No, I don’t,” she said on video.
Police decided to arrest her.
“It’s an unfortunate incident, but it needed to be addressed,” Ponca City Police Captain Randy Tyner told the outlet.
It’s unclear if the defendant has an attorney at this time.
Would you believe it if coughing crimes happened in different sub-genres? Because they do. For example, there’s multiple stories of individuals coughing on produce and product. And of course who can forget the not-so-passive aggressive coughing around and at people. Even at least one cop has been seen getting in on it! And you don’t want to know about the deodorant-licking. But yeah, the Flores situation fits in a very specific category: multiple agencies have reported allegations in which suspects coughed (or spit) on officials amid the COVID-19 pandemic and often claimed to have the disease.
[Screengrab of woman identified as Cecelia Flores via KFOR]
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