coronavirus

Grapevine Man Arrested for Coughing in Officer's Face, Claiming to Have Coronavirus

27-year-old Jonathan Dechoudens is charged with Harassment of a Public Servant, police say.

Grapevine Police Department

Grapevine police have arrested a man for coughing into an officer's face and claiming he had coronavirus.

27-year-old Jonathan Dechoudens is charged with Harassment of a Public Servant, a 3rd degree felony, police say.

According to the Grapevine Police Department, an officer was sitting in his marked patrol car with his driver's side window down in a parking lot near Northwest Highway.

Police said Dechoudens ran up to the officer's window and began to cough in his face, saying he was infected with coronavirus. The officer confronted the Dechoudens, and Dechoudens said that he was joking.

The officer, who worried that he has been exposed to COVID-19, called in additional units and medics to screen Dechoudens for the virus, police said.

Police said that once Dechoudens was cleared, he was arrested and booked into jail for making a terroristic threat. The charge was later changed to harassment of public servant.

The Grapevine Police officer who was coughed on by Dechoudens continues to monitor his health daily and has not shown symptoms of coronavirus.

He was cleared to continue working, and his temperature is checked before beginning each shift, like all employees who enter the Grapevine Public Safety Building, police said.

According to Grapevine police, anyone who claims they are trying to give the virus to another person will face charges.

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