Cleveland Man Facing Federal Charges For COVID-19 Hoax

(Cleveland) - A Cleveland man is facing federal charges for claiming he had COVID-19, and putting numerous people in danger with his claim.

US Attorney Justin Herdman says that in March, RTA Police were called out to a report of a drunken man aboard a downtown trolley bus. Walter Ray Poindexter, 32, of Cleveland, was arrested on charges of an outstanding warrant from Franklin County. As he was being taken to the Cuyahoga County Jail, he allegedly said he had problems breathing, and said he had coronavirus. That's when police say Poindexter either spit or coughed in the faces of police officers, a jail nurse, EMTs, and staff at MetroHealth Medical Center.

Poindexter was given a COVID-19 pathogen test, which came up negative.

(Photo by Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

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