TEXARKANA, Texas (KETK) – A Texarkana man is behind bars after creating a fake Facebook post that falsely said there had been a case of coronavirus confirmed at a local jail.
Jimmie Hock, 39, has been charged with creating a false report after creating the fake story that appeared to be from a legitimate news source.
The fake news quickly spread in the community with many residents calling the jail and many jailers refusing to work if there was a positive case.
Investigators say they were able to determine that Hock created the post and obtained a warrant for his arrest.
This went far beyond a casual comment or post on social media. He intentionally tried to make this look like a real news story. He wanted to mislead and scare people who are already incredibly nervous about the COVID-19 virus. Given those fears right now, this was basically the same thing as someone yelling “fire” in a theater. Hopefully, this will serve as a warning to anyone else who might think of doing something like this in the future.”
Chief Kevin Schutte
Hock was booked into the Bi-State Jail and posted a $5,000 bond.
