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Eagle Co. Sheriff's Office identifies man accused of coughing on groceries, violating health order

Deputies say man called COVID-19 outbreak "media hype"
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Posted at 10:16 AM, Apr 20, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-20 23:45:57-04

EDWARDS, Colo. – The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office says it has identified a man who is accused of violating the county public health order by coughing on another person’s groceries and causing a scene over the COVID-19 outbreak.

Deputies identified the man as 51-year-old Nathan R. Herries, of Vail.

The incident happened at the Village Market in Edwards.

The sheriff’s office said Herries refused to comply with the six-foot distancing rules and caused a stir at the store. The man was asked to keep his distance and then “went on a rant of how the employee was falling for the ‘media hype,'” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

He then got between a customer and employee and coughed on the customer’s groceries, the sheriff’s office said, which is a violation of the county and state's public health orders.

Herries was summoned for violation of public health order, disorderly conduct and second-degree tampering in lieu of arrest, deputies said Monday evening.