4 Howell Officers Exposed As Arrestee Admits Having Coronavirus

HOWELL, NJ — Four Howell Township police officers are in self-quarantine after they arrested a man in a shoplifting incident who later admitted he was positive for the new coronavirus, police said Tuesday.

Howell Police Chief Andrew J. Kudrick Jr. the man was among three people who were arrested at Lowe's on Monday, accused of trying to steal more than $2,000 worth of power tools.

Police were called about 2 p.m. Monday to Lowe's for a report of a shoplifting in progress and arrived to find three people who had been detained by security at Lowe's, which "had been made aware of the three after they recently targeted other stores," police said.

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All three were arrested and as they were en route to police headquarters, one admitted having tested positive for the coronavirus, police said.

"Due to the trio having been together for an extended period of time during their stealing spree, including being in the same vehicle, it was assumed all three were positive," police said. None of the three had taken any precautions to protect others.

As a result, four Howell officers are being treated for exposure, and the civilians who may have come in contact with the three may be at risk as well, Kudrick said.

"If not for privacy rights under HIPAA, their names would be announced," Kudrick said. "Normally, we would have publicly shamed them for their criminal and highly negligent behavior.

All three have been charged with third-degree theft and released pending court dates.

"This is another example why it is so important to abide by the ‘Stay at Home’ order. If you need to go out, wear some sort of approved respiratory mask or facial covering. There are some out there like these three who don’t care about how their conduct affects you. Even if it results in you becoming seriously ill," Kudrick said.

The four officers have been placed on administrative leave and must abide by quarantine procedures. They will be out at least a week and pending tests results, he said.

As of Tuesday there were more than 44,000 positive cases of the coronavirus in New Jersey and more than 225 in Howell as of Monday, according to the Monmouth County Health Department. There have been 1,232 deaths from complications of the virus, state officials said Tuesday. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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