FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A northeast Florida man is accused of spraying the doors of a pet store with a container labeled “COVID-19,” according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses told investigators that just before noon Sunday, the man later identified as David Randolph White, 50, was seen spraying the substance on and around the entrance doors of the business.
“The suspect reportedly made statements to the employees and patrons in the area that they were now infected with COVID-19,” the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page.
Investigators found White, of Arlington, after witnesses at the PetSmart store where the incident happened provided pictures of his Nissan truck and other information that led to his Facebook page, the Florida Times Union reported.
White was arrested on charges that include the threatened use of a weapon or hoax weapon of mass destruction. He was later released from jail on bonds totaling $15,000 records show.
A woman who claims to know White posted on Facebook that the incident happened after White went to the pet store with a woman who was undergoing treatment for cancer and got into a dispute with an employee after spraying the entry doors with a disinfectant.
“Is it possible you aren’t hearing the whole story,” Julie Morris wrote.
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