A woman in Pennsylvania is behind bars after she went into a grocery story, started coughing and spitting all over the place, while shouting “I HAVE THE VIRUS.” The store ended up throwing away $35,000 worth of food. Margaret Cirko is now facing a variety of felony and misdemeanor charges for the stunt.



The Times Leader reports:

The woman accused of coughing and spitting on food at a Gerrity’s supermarket was arraigned in the back seat of a police cruiser Thursday afternoon, and court records show her saliva is being considered a “biological agent.”

She has tested negative for the coronavirus, however.

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Township police allege Margaret Ann Cirko, 35, entered the Sans Souci Parkway supermarket on Wednesday yelling, “I have the virus, you’re all going to get sick,” as she intentionally coughed and spat on merchandise.

Joe Fasula, co-owner of Scranton-based Gerrity’s, said Cirko caused an estimated $35,000 in damage, resulting in a large amount of merchandise being discarded.

Police charged Cirko with two counts of terroristic threats and one count each of criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, retail theft and bomb threats due to her saliva being designated as a “biological agent.”

She was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail.

Court records say several employees reported seeing Cirko laughing as she was yelling, “I have the virus, now everyone is going to get sick,” while leaning closer to food items to intentionally cough and spit on them.

Police said an employee stopped Cirko from stealing a 12 pack of beer when she was being chased out of the store. An employee managed to obtain the license plate of a 2008 Ford she drove away in.

Cirko was transported to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for a mental health evaluation and a test for the COVID-19 virus Wednesday night. The test returned a negative result, police said.