It’s hard to know where to begin with this one. Amidst the constant barrage of news about coronavirus, and our individual worry at whether we could be next in line, is a story out of Hanover Township Pennsylvania about a woman who purposely coughed all over $35,000 worth of product. Fresh veggies, meats, bakery goods, and sundries all had to be thrown straight into the trash thanks to this woman, who is known to authorities as a “chronic problem” in the area. (1)

A Very Challenging Day

In what may well be one of the understatements of the year, “Today was a very challenging day” was the opening line of a Facebook update by Joe Fasula, co-owner of Gerrity’s supermarket chain. (1) 

The Hanover Township authorities who are treating this as a terrorist threat, say the suspect is a local woman named Margaret Cirko. According to their Facebook update, she was seen entering the store and making verbal threats that she was sick, while purposely coughing and spitting all over several areas. (2)  

Thanks to quick-thinking employees, Ms. Cirko was apprehended and removed from the area. But not before she was able to contaminate a whole swath of the store, and tried to steal a 12-pack of beer on her way out. Mr. Fasula says that “While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank … we had no choice but to throw out all product she came in contact with. Working closely with the Hanover Township health inspector, we identified every area that she was in, we disposed of the product and thoroughly cleaned and disinfected everything.” (1)

Felony Charges For Terrorist Acts

According to their Facebook statement, the Hanover Township Police Department charged the suspect with 2 Felony counts of Terrorist Threats, 1 Felony count of Threats to use a “Biological agent”, and 1 Felony count of Criminal Mischief. In addition to that, they added Misdemeanor counts of Criminal Attempt to commit Retail Theft and Disorderly Conduct as well. Bail was set at $50,000.

News stories don’t indicate whether the woman is believed to be mentally ill, or what may be going on to put her in a mindset of something like this being a good idea. Regardless, it’s heartening to know that these acts are not being taken lightly. The Hanover Township authorities will saddle a person with all the charges they can in order to drive the point home. With everyone’s heightened state of awareness these days, it is not a stretch in the least to look at this as an act of terrorism. Not to mention the heartbreaking loss… all that food wasted. So many store shelves across the country are bare right now as it is, so there’s something extra cruel about this particular incident. 

As for Mr. Fasula, he seems to have found a bright spot in all this. He concludes, “The only silver lining to this travesty is that it gave us the unfortunate opportunity to test our protocols and demonstrate how seriously we take your safety. One thing is for sure, we will have the cleanest display and freshest produce anywhere in northeast PA.” (1)