An Ohio college student was cited for violating city health orders after he was busted for hosting a house party … one week after he tested positive for coronavirus.
WCPO reports the citation was issued over Labor Day weekend near Miami University in Oxford, where officers had received a noise complaint and a report of a large gathering at a residence. According the outlet, law enforcement arrived at the home Saturday afternoon and discovered a house party with 20 people packed into the home.
Bodycam footage shows an officer speaking to a male student who says he lives in the home; the officer then takes the man’s ID, runs it through the department’s database, and discovers the student had tested positive for COVID-19.
“When was this?” the officer asks the man, referring to the diagnosis.
“This was a week ago,” the student responds, before being asked if he was supposed to be quarantining. “Yeah. That’s why I’m at my house.”
The officer then asks if other people at the party had tested positive for the disease. The student initially says, “They all do,” but then changes his answer after being pressed. “Well, I think two.”
According to WCPO, six male students were cited during the bust. Though they are not facing any criminal charges, the citation reportedly carries a $500 fine.
“This particular case is egregious, but I think for the most part, by in large, the students have been very well behaved,” OPD Lt. Lara Fening told WKRC. “The way I interpreted the video from the bodycam footage was — he felt like he was at home and quarantining like he was supposed to be and that the majority of the people that were at the house had passed by and stopped by.”
It’s unclear if the other party-goers were aware of the infections prior to the bust.
As of Wednesday, the Miami University in Oxford had reported 1,026 confirmed coronavirus cases among students and three positive cases among staff.
