A homeless man accused of stealing a coronavirus test sample from a Northern California hospital has been rearrested days after he was released from jail under COVID-19 bail changes, authorities said.
Shaun Lamar Moore, 40, of Davis was back in court Wednesday in Yolo County to face new charges of petty theft and misdemeanor sexual battery. Instead of the zero bail amount he received last time, the court set Moore’s bail at $10,000 and he remained jailed, the county district attorney’s office said.
Moore already was charged with attempted possession of a restricted biological agent, burglary and petty theft by false pretenses.
It wasn’t clear whether Moore had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Prosecutors contend that on April 11, Moore pretended to be a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employee who was picking up a biological sample believed to contain COVID-19 from Sutter Davis Hospital in Davis.
The sample was awaiting testing and a California Department of Public Health courier arrived only minutes after Moore left, prosecutors said.
The sealed sample was found hours later in a shopping cart at a pharmacy. It hadn’t been tampered with and was returned to the hospital, authorities said.
Moore was arrested but then released without bail until a May hearing, although he had to wear a GPS monitor.
On April 20, he was rearrested on suspicion of committing a petty theft in West Sacramento and sexual battery in Woodland, authorities said.
Thousands of inmates have been released from county jails throughout California under an April 13 emergency order by the state Judicial Council cutting bail to zero for those charged with low-level offenses. The order aimed to combat the potential spread of the coronavirus within packed lockups.
Prosecutors had urged the court to keep Moore in jail earlier this month, arguing that he “placed the lives of many individuals at risk.” Their motion said that Moore has bipolar personality disorder and hasn’t been taking medication, is homeless, drinks and smokes methamphetamine, the Sacramento Bee reported.
