Woman Deliberately Contaminates Grocery Store - $35K Loss
This is insane! This Pennsylvania woman deliberately contaminated food in a grocery store, stating that she was spreading the virus. She's being charged with "2 Felony counts of Terrorist Threats, 1 Felony count of Threats to use
a"Biological agent", and 1 Felony count of Criminal Mischief. In
addition to Misdemeanor counts of Criminal Attempt to commit Retail
Theft and Disorderly Conduct.", according to the police. FB post from local cops
JAMES HALPIN AND BOB KALINOWSKI, STAFF WRITERS
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Published: March 26, 2020
HANOVER TWP. — The woman accused of hacking up a fit that caused
Gerrity’s Supermarkets to toss out an estimated $35,000 worth of food
was hit Thursday with terroristic threat and weapons of mass destruction
charges alleging she threatened to expose people to the novel
coronavirus.
“I have the virus. Now everyone is going to get sick,” the charges
quote township resident Margaret Cirko, 35, as saying during her episode
at the Sans Souci Parkway supermarket on Wednesday.
According to the complaint, were were dispatched to the store around 2
p.m. Wednesday to a report of a disorderly woman who was yelling that
she “has the virus” while coughing and spitting on food and merchandise.
The store manager, Leonard Karabon, reported that the woman — later
identified as Cirko — entered the store and immediately began “violently
coughing and spitting” on produce that was for sale while repeatedly
saying she was infected by COVID-19, which has so far sickened 36 people
and killed one in Luzerne County.
Cirko continued her coughing routine throughout the store, hitting up
the meat department and grocery aisles as an employee began following
her and telling her to leave, police said. At one point, she forced
herself to vomit on merchandise, according to the complaint.
Several employees confirmed witnessing Cirko coughing and spitting, and
at least one said she was “smiling and laughing” during her
performance, according to police.
When she finally did leave, Cirko grabbed a 12-pack of Yuengling Lager
and tried to flee, although employees grabbed it out of her hands prior
to her exiting the store, police said.
Officers used surveillance footage to identify the spitter as Cirko,
whom they knew from “prior police contacts,” the charges say.
Investigators brought Cirko, of 50 Tomko Ave., to a hospital for a
mental health evaluation prior to charging her with criminal mischief,
disorderly conduct, retail theft, making terroristic threats and making a
bomb threat related to a weapon of mass destruction.
Magisterial District Judge Joseph A. Halesey arraigned her on the
charges Thursday afternoon and ordered her jailed at the Luzerne County
Correctional Facility with bail set at $50,000.
The incident prompted Gerrity’s to throw out an estimated $35,000 worth
of products at a time many grocery stores are experiencing shortages
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gerrity’s co-owner Joe Fasula previously said that he was “sick to my stomach” about the loss of food.
“While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted
prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of
our customers” Fasula said. “We had no choice but to throw out all
product she came in contact with. Working closely with the Hanover
Township health inspector, we identified every area that she was in, we
disposed of the product and thoroughly cleaned and disinfected
everything.”
This is beyond sickening (no pun intended). Deliberately trying to make people sick? What possesses someone to do such a thing? Unable, so far, to locate anything regarding her political beliefs. According to this, though, she has several Facebook accounts:
Margaret Cirko Hanover Pennsylvania woman
charged in stunt which saw her cough on $35K worth of produce at
Gerrity’s Supermarket – forcing the grocery to throw away items amid
fears of coronavirus epidemic.
Margaret Cirko, 35, of Hanover was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction, making terroristic threats and disorderly conduct, Hanover Township Police Chief Albert Walker said in a Facebook release on Thursday.
Cirko visited the Hanover location of the
small grocery chain Gerrity’s Supermarket before 2:20 p.m. Wednesday
and coughed on fresh produce, a small section of the bakery, meat case
and grocery items, Gerrity’s Supermarket co owner Joe Fasula told via WYOU.
‘I have the virus, now you are all going to get sick.’
During the stunt, Cirko is alleged to have laughed before yelling, ‘I have the virus, now you are all going to get sick.’
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.
During a preliminary arraignment, bail was set at $50,000 and Cirko was transported to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, the TimesLeader.com reported.
Margaret Cirko Hanover Pa woman
Testing to see whether our collective hero tests positive for COVID-19:
Walker would not confirm whether Cirko in fact had COVID-19. Fasula said she is not believed to be infected, but authorities ‘will make every effort to see that she is tested.’
‘While there is little doubt this woman
was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with
the health and well-being of our customers. We had no choice but to
throw out all product she came in contact with,’ Gerrity’s Supermarket stated in a Facebook post.
Of note, Fasula described Cirko as being a ‘chronic problem’ in the community. Not immediately clear is whether there had prior ‘episodes’ at Gerrity’s?
A regard of social media revealed Cirko appearing to have multiple
Facebook pages, including one in which her bio describes that she ‘works
atIM A F***ING HUSTLER BABY !!’
Welcome to a brave new apocalyptic coronavirus world ….
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