#JSO has arrested a subject for a COVID-19 threat at a local business. David R. White (W/M 50) arrested after spraying an unknown substance on the entrance doors and threatening patrons with COVID-19. For more, go to: https://t.co/G6Gng67vy5 pic.twitter.com/HCH7CrVlYi
— Jax Sheriff’s Office (@JSOPIO) March 30, 2020
A Florida man allegedly sprayed a business entrance with a substance from a container labeled “COVID-19,” according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. David Randolph White, 50, faces a charge of threatening the use of a weapon of mass destruction.
There’s no question that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the way that people relate to one another. Some defendants are accused of taking advantage of this, as in White’s case.
Officers said they were dispatched to a local business just before noon on Sunday. This was for a “reported intentional COVID-19 contamination.” Witnesses said that White approached a business with a container labeled “COVID-19,” entered, and sprayed it around the doors. Authorities describe the stuff inside the container as an “unknown substance.”
The defendant allegedly told staffers and patrons that they were now infected with the virus.
Officials said that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force got involved in helping find and detaining White. From the JSO:
The suspect was subsequently arrested under the provisions of F.S.S. 790.166(3); Manufacture, possession, sale, delivery, display, use, or attempted or threatened use of a weapon of mass destruction or hoax weapon of mass destruction.
The business cleaned and sanitized the affected area, authorities said.
White is scheduled for a court date to take place Monday, according to Duval County jail records viewed by Law&Crime. He’s being held without bond. It’s unclear if he has an attorney at this time.
[Mugshot via Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office]
