Mom coughs in officer’s face as cops break up kid’s birthday bash, Alabama police say
An Alabama woman was arrested on numerous charges Monday after police say she intentionally coughed in an officer’s face while mentioning the coronavirus.
Melanie Chambers, 39, of Andalusia was hosting a birthday bash for one of her children at her home Monday evening — a direct violation of the state’s “stay-at-home” order limiting public gatherings to 10 persons or less, according to an Andalusia Police Department release obtained by McClatchy News. .
Authorities arrived to the Brewton Street residence after receiving reports of loud music to find 40 to 50 people partying inside, according to Police Chief Paul Hudson, and there was also an “odor of marijuana.”
Chambers, who’s renting the home, reportedly grew upset that police were there to bust up her soirée.
“She got a little upset with the officers because they were there,’’ Hudson said, according to AL.com. “She got irate and told them they needed to worry about other things.”
That’s when officers say she said “something about COVID-19” before deliberately coughing on one of the officers, according to the news release.
Chambers was initially charged with criminal assault with a bodily fluid, though Hudson later determined her actions didn’t meet the standards for such a charge, The Associated Press reported. The Andalusia woman also faces numerous drug charges, including marijuana possession, after a sweep of her home turned up illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to local police.
Hudson also said the incident marked the first time Andalusia police has arrested someone for skirting the state’s stay-at-home order, which was put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the release states. As of Wednesday, Alabama had more than 5,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 178 reported deaths, according to the state’s Department of Health.
“We are handling this on a case-by-case basis,” Hudson said in a statement posted to Facebook. “If participants refuse to comply with the order, we have to take steps to enforce it.”
He also commended officers for their handling of the incident, noting that they “could’ve lost their cool,” according to the Facebook post.
Chambers’ bond was set at $23,500, authorities said.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 2:22 PM.