As a Forsyth County man was being booked into the Cobb County jail last week, he told deputies that he was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, forcing the jail staff to use protective measures.
Ronald Nathaniel Steward, 29, of Cumming, said he was diagnosed with the highly contagious virus at Northside Hospital, deputies said. However, a quick phone call proved that was not true and netted the man felony charges.
On April 11, Steward was charged with making false statements and terroristic threats, according to Cobb County arrest warrants.
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After telling jailers he had COVID-19, Steward signed an authorization for treatment and released his medical information to the sheriff’s office, the warrants said. Deputies called Northside Hospital, and a nurse told them that Steward was never tested and never treated for COVID-19 at the hospital.
In addition to the charges, the lie netted him a 14-day stay in a single-person cell, so he could be quarantined away from other inmates, the warrants said.
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His initial arrest stemmed from a drunken incident at the Smyrna City Jail in November last year, the warrants said. Steward is accused of hitting an officer on the left side of her face, earning a felony obstruction charge and a misdemeanor battery charge.
His bond was set at $3,520 after his initial arrest, but his bond was denied on the most recent two felonies, Cobb jail records show.
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