Ebola hoax arrestee headed for court

A Granite Shoals woman who gained notoriety by asking police to check her methamphetamine for Ebola is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Chasitiy Eugina Hopson, 29, appears on the plea docket for 424th District Judge Evan Stubbs at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10.

Last March, Hopson had the misfortune of falling for a Facebook meme posted by the Granite Shoals Police Department indicating methamphetamine circulating around town had been tainted by Ebola, a virus which has killed thousands of people, especially in Africa, where the disease is thought to have originated.

The meme suggested that concerned individuals should take their meth to the police to have it tested to see if it contained Ebola.

“Meth and Heroin recently brought in to Central Texas as well as the ingredients used to make it could be contaminated with the life threatening disease Ebola,” the post read. “If you have recently purchased meth or heroin in Central Texas, please take it to the local police or sheriff department so it can be screened with a special device. DO NOT use it until it has been properly checked for possible Ebola contamination!”

Hopson had been spotted by witnesses trying to break into a vehicle on Prairie Creek Road on March 24, 2016, and was found by officers later that evening. Appearing to be under the influence of drugs, Hopson handed a small bag of methamphetamine to officers and suggested they should test it for Ebola. She was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance less than one gram and criminal mischief.

Granite Shoals police made a post about the arrest later that day.

“This morning, we had our first concerned citizen notify the Granite Shoals Police Department that they believed their methamphetamine may be tainted. Our officers gladly took the item for further testing. Results and booking photos are pending,” the post read. “Please continue to report any possibly tainted methamphetamine or other narcotics to the Granite Shoals Police Department. Public health and safety continue to remain our #1 priority. ‪#‎notkidding‬”

GSPD then posted Hopson's photo on Facebook along with a heading that called her the “winner of the Facebook post challenge.”
The Facebook posts regarding Hopson's arrest were shared thousands of times and was reported by a number of media outlets, including national ones like Huffington Post, the Washington Times and United Press International.

The department faced criticism on Facebook over the post as some individuals thought Hopson had possibly been entrapped or set up by the phony alert, but officials indicated most people thought it had been an ingenious way to get rid of some drugs on the street.

“It is never our intent to make light of people’s unfortunate circumstances,” said Sgt. Chris Decker, public information officer for the GSPD, when news of the arrest spread. “The post really was just made to show some humor and some personal flair for our department.”

Hopson is being represented in court by Terrence Michael Marsh. Any levity or frequeent sentences of probation aside, even the charge she faces of less than a gram of a controlled substance is a state jail felony.