Man charged for claiming he had COVID-19 coronavirus and coughing on Grapevine officer

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GRAPEVINE, Texas - A man was arrested and charged after intentionally coughing into the face of a Grapevine police officer and claiming he was positive for COVID-19 coronavirus.

Police said the incident happened last Friday and Jonathan Dechoudens, 27, was arrested and charged with harassment of a public servant – a third degree felony.

Dechoudens ran up to the driver’s side window of the officer’s patrol car and coughed on him about 12:45 a.m., police said. The officer was sitting in the vehicle while parked in a lot off Northwest Highway.

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Police said the officer had to get medically cleared after the incident and he is doing well, as it didn’t appear that man had the virus. Dechoudens was checked by medics before being taken into custody.

“Pretending to infect an officer, a first responder, or anybody with a potentially life-threatening illness is NOT A JOKE - it is CRIMINAL,” police said in a post on their Facebook page.

Police said officers are using personal protective gear “as needed” during the pandemic and also have access to sanitizing liquids and wipes.

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