Texas police announce arrest of 18-year-old who said she was 'willfully spreading' COVID-19



CARROLLTON, Texas -- Police in Texas on Tuesday, April 7 arrested an 18-year-old accused of posting on social media that she tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus and was “willfully spreading it.”

“I'm at Walmart about to infest ,” she said in the now-viral video. “If I'm going down, all you are going down.”

Lorraine Maradiaga, 18, was charged with making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony. She turned herself in on Tuesday morning after widespread media coverage the past two days.

Maradiaga told police she was negative for COVID-19, and officials said they had no proof she previously tested positive.

Bond was set at $20,000 and Maradiaga was taken to the Denton County Jail -- ordered to quarantine for 21 days after release as a precaution, police said.

Police had asked for the public's help locating her, and the FBI was involved.

“This young woman's actions, we're not going to tolerate it,” said Jolene DeVito with Carrollton PD.

After all of the public backlash, DeVito said Maradiaga posted another video and claimed it was all an April Fool’s joke. Regardless of the outcome, she's still in hot water.