A woman faces criminal charges after authorities said she claimed Wednesday in Faulkner County District Court in Mayflower that she may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
Celia Hill faces charges of contempt of court and filing a false report, Mayflower police Lt. Wesley Tyra said.
Authorities said Hill told the court that she may have been exposed to the virus, and the courtroom was evacuated, according to a department Facebook post.
The state Department of Health was called to look into the matter, and spokeswoman Meg Mirivel said Hill did not meet the criteria -- as another person in Arkansas did in late January -- to be considered a person under investigation for having the virus. That other person was tested for the virus, and the results were negative.
Hill was not tested because she did not meet the investigation criteria, which includes recent travel to an area of concern, symptoms consistent with the illness and/or close contact with someone confirmed to have the virus.
More than 81,000 people around the world have been sickened by the coronavirus since it emerged in China. The illness is characterized by fever, coughing and sometimes shortness of breath or pneumonia.
Online court records show that the charges against Hill were added to an existing case in which she faces several misdemeanor drug counts.
Tyra said Hill was taken to the Faulkner County jail, where she was booked on the new charges.
Metro on 02/27/2020