An Owensboro man who breathed on an officer while claiming he had the coronavirus on Monday could face additional charges if his pending test comes back positive, according to the Owensboro Police Department. He is currently facing a first-degree wanton endangerment charge.
Eric Markwell, 21, was being charged with trafficking in marijuana and trafficking in a controlled substance (drug unspecified) when he blew into the face of an arresting officer and stated that he had the virus, according to OPD.
The OPD officer was not wearing a mask when the incident occurred and is currently self-quarantining for 14 days.
Markwell had not been tested for COVID-19 at the time but had been in close contact with someone who previously tested positive, according to OPD.
Markwell did receive a COVID-19 test Tuesday at the Daviess County Detention Center, where he was held in isolation before being released on a $10,000 full cash bond, according to Jailer Art Maglinger.
Those test results should come back within two to three days and could determine whether or not Markwell will be additionally charged with assault, according to OPD Public Information Officer Andrew Boggess.
“At the end of the day, if we seek additional charges on him, we would go to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, who would help [determine which additional charge(s) apply],” Boggess said. “Second-degree assault could be one charge we add — first-degree assault is possible.”
The OPD officer Markwell allegedly exposed will not be tested until Markwell’s results come back. If tested, OPD won’t receive the officer’s results due to HIPAA privacy laws, but Boggess said the officer might be open about the results with his colleagues.
“Those results won’t be released unless I’m specifically told by someone with the legal authority [to make that call] to release them,” Boggess said.
