Police in Granite Shoals, just northwest of Austin, arrested a woman last week after she allegedly brought them a stash of meth to have it tested for the Ebola Virus — all based on a “hoax” officers reportedly posted online.
Word that the hoax, posted as an image to the Granite Shoals Police Department’s Facebook account, actually caused someone to bring drugs to the station quickly accumulated mocking comments from followers of the account, according to Austin ABC affiliate KVUE-TV.
The image, posted Tuesday, reportedly read:
“Breaking News: Area Meth and Heroin Supply Possibly Contaminated With Ebola. Meth and Heroin recently brought in to Central Texas as well as the ingredients used to make it could be contaminated with the life threatening disease Ebola. If you have recently purchased meth or heroin in Central Texas, please take it to the local police or sheriff department so it can be screened with a special device. DO NOT use it until it has been properly checked for possible Ebola contamination! Contact any Granite Shoals PD officer for testing. Please share in hopes we get this information to anyone who has any contaminated meth or heroin that needs tested.”
Police said that 29-year-old Chasity Hopson responded to that image by walking into the police station on Thursday with a small quantity of meth, hoping to have it tested. She’s been arrested for possession of a controlled substance.
The post appears to have been deleted after some commenters suggested that she may not be mentally well and that the police had entrapped her.
