RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul arrested last night an 18-year-old boy diagnosed with the Covid-19 for failing to comply with the isolation directed by the state health bodies.
The arrest occurred after a warrant was issued by Judge Marilde Angélica Webber Goldschmidt, of the Torres 1st Criminal Court.
According to the Civil Police, who requested the arrest, the young man had arrived from Ireland on March 11th with the symptoms caused by the novel coronavirus and was examined the following day.
He was instructed to remain isolated at home to avoid spreading the virus should the Covid-19 be confirmed. He tested positive on March 18th.
Before being diagnosed, the young man failed to heed the instructions and even went to a party and a soccer match. He also visited a barbershop, reported detective Adriano Koehler Pinto, who initiated a criminal investigation.
He is considered a suspect in two crimes under the Penal Code, according to the Civil Police. The first, under Article 267, which involves causing an epidemic by spreading pathogenic germs, is punishable by 10 to 15 years in prison; in addition to the crime of violating a public order to prevent the introduction of a contagious disease. For the latter, the sentence is between one month and one year imprisonment, according to article 268.
According to Detective Adriano, it is suspected that the youth broke out of isolation on purpose.
“His stepmother advised the health department that he was symptomatic. They collected the material and he was advised at the time that he should remain in social isolation, but he failed to respect the measures, attending several activities and publishing them on social media. He even said that if the others got contaminated it would not be his problem, not caring about a thing,” it reported.
The arrest occurred in a town near Torres, where the young man lives. The Civil Police chose not to disclose the municipality in order not to cause panic. The young man did not resist arrest. In case of further disobedience to isolation, the home detention system should be converted to preventive, and he would be transferred to a prison facility.
“We didn’t ask for pre-trial detention because he could contaminate other prisoners in a cell,” the detective said, adding that the officers who served the arrest warrant took adequate sanitary precautions to return the suspect to Torres. “The personnel who provided assistance were very cautious with the required protection.”
Source: UOL