by Morinville News Staff
Alberta RCMP members are reporting several instances over the past several days of people who claim to have COVID-19 threatening to cough on them.
“The threat to transmit the COVID-19 virus is a threat to the wellbeing and health of our members which is a criminal offence,” said Assistant Commissioner John Ferguson, Alberta RCMP’s Officer-in-Charge of Criminal Operations. “To actually carry out these threats would be an Assault on a Peace Officer.”
Police say there is only one recorded incident that has led to charges, a 59-year-old man from Wetaskiwin. That individual was charged with assault on a police officer and failure to comply with the Public Health Act. Another man, a 27-year-old from Lethbridge, was charged by Lethbridge Police after he allegedly coughed on a police officer intentionally.
What could a person hope to gain by threatening a police officer.
Prison time would be our only guess.
Charge them with attempted extortion, second degree attempted murder and impersonating a thinking human being.