BUFFALO (WBEN) - A Buffalo woman is facing up to eight years in prison after being charged with assault for spitting on a postal service worker and claiming to have the coronavirus.
On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney JP Kennedy announced that 39-year-old Melissa Daniels-Johnson was charged in a criminal complaint with assault of a federal employee.
"What's especially heinous about this incident that the individual allegedly threatened to use the Covid-19 virus as a weapon, and where that is done, any individual who's done that should expect a strong dose of justice," said Kennedy, who noted that the altercation originated when the letter carrier advised Daniels-Johnson that she was driving the wrong way on a one-way lane, and the situation escalated from there.
According to the complaint, the incident took place on March 19, as Cheektowaga Police Officers were called to the Cheektowaga Branch Post Office located on Galleria Drive.
At this point, it's unknown whether Daniels-Johnson actually had coronavirus because she refused to be tested. If she had been determined carry the virus, Kennedy says charges would have been enhanced because the assault was supplemented with the use of a biological agent.
"That will remain to be seen, but as it is right now, she's certainly facing a serious charge with the felony assault charge against a federal officer," he said.
Daniels-Johnson will be back in court before a magistrate judge on April 27.
