Texas prosecutors have accused an individual of falsely claiming on social media to testing positive at a hospital for the COVID-19 virus.
Tyler County District Attorney Lucas Babin announced the person’s arrest on Monday in a Facebook post.
He said that over the weekend, the individual “falsely reported on social media” to testing positive for COVID-19 at Tyler County Hospital.
“The case was promptly investigated by the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office and delivered to the District Attorney’s Office,” Babin said.
Babin said his office charged the individual with making a false report, a misdemeanor.
The name of the accused person has not been released, a member of Babin’s staff told reporters Tuesday.
Earlier Monday, Babin said on Facebook that knowingly communicating or circulating “a false report/false alarm of COVID-19″ that one “knows is false or baseless” and that “would ordinarily cause action by an official or interrupt the occupation of any place of assembly” can be a criminal offense in Texas.
The arrest came as Texas announced its first coronavirus-related death.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the state had 106 confirmed coronavirus cases.
