Louisiana sheriff’s deputies aren’t standing for disinformation about the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, especially when that information is about them.
The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office said it had arrested a man on Friday and charged him with terrorism for making a false social media post:
“SHARE SHARE SHARE ! ! ! ! JUST IN: RAPIDES PARISH SHERIFFS OFFICE HAVE ISSUED THE ORDER, IF DEPUTIES COME INTO CONTACT WITH “THE INFECTED’ SHOOT ON SIGHT….Lord have mercy on us all. #Covid9teen #weneedyoubradpit”
The sheriff’s office didn’t say on what platform Waylon Allen Bailey, 27, allegedly made the post and CrimeOnline could not find it, KEEL radio reported it had been told the post was on Facebook.
Detectives launched an investigation when the post was brought to their attention Friday morning and soon settled on Bailey as a suspect. They found him near his residence and took him into custody without incident.
Parish Sheriff William Earl Hilton said his department will not tolerate “communicating false information to alarm or cause other serious disruptions to the general public.”
“We are all in this together,” Hilton said.
Bailey has been booked into the parish detention center and is currently being held on a $10,000 bond.
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[Featured image: Waylon Allen Bailey/Rapides Parish Detention Center]
