Joshua Price, in his 20s, was detained by officers from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, who said they wore protective gear to make the arrest. When they approached the suspect’s home, they were met with a sign stuck to the door with tape which read: “COVID19 infected since 4/8/20.”

The self-made warning was not enough to deter deputies, who were seen in a photo on the agency’s Facebook account, leading the suspect to a police vehicle in handcuffs.

“Placing a fake ‘Covid-19’ sign on your door will not stop us from kicking it in when you have felony warrants for your arrest,” the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office wrote.

The department confirmed the arrest took place on Thursday at Will Tillis Road in Bardin and said there was no indication that he actually had contracted the infectious disease.

“Deputies and detectives used protective gear when arresting 28-year-old Joshua Price on Will Tillis Road in Bardin this afternoon on felony flee, elude law enforcement and violation of probation warrants,” the sheriff’s office Facebook post added.

“The investigation revealed that the suspect created the fake sign as his idea to avoid arrest. Price has been booked into the county jail with no indication that he has been exposed to COVID-19.”

Jail records, used to confirm the current charges and personal details of the suspect, listed Price as being 27-years-old, not 28. Local media outlet WFTV reported the suspect as being 28. The Florida sheriff’s office public information team has been contacted for clarification by Newsweek.

The charge of fleeing and eluding is considered a third-degree felony that is punishable by up to five years in prison or five years of probation, according to Florida law firm Hussein and Webber.

The legal outfit explains: “[It] is the failure of a driver to stop or remain stopped upon order by a duly authorized law enforcement officer. Fleeing and eluding is a serious criminal offense, with felony penalties that may include prison and a mandatory driver’s license revocation.”

There have now been at least 46 positive cases of the novel coronavirus in Putnam County, according to Florida Health. The state has recorded more than 22,000 infections to date. The U.S. has more than 671,400 confirmed COVID-19 cases, topping major hotspots including France, Spain and Italy.

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