A deputy from local sheriff’s department has threatened a teenager with arrest over an Instagram post about her suspected COVID-19 infection. After being brought to hospital to be treated for symptoms consistent with the coronavirus, the COVID-19 tests, however, turned out to be negative.  

Following her discharge from the hospital, the teenager and her family were ordered by the sheriff’s department to remove the posts or they would face charges for disorderly conduct. A patrol seargent from the sheriff's department threatened he would "start taking people to jail". As a result, the family has filed a lawsuit against both the local sheriff and the deputy for breach of the teenager’s freedom of speech protected under First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

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