Man Allegedly Infected Thousands with HIV (VIDEO)
A deeply disturbed man is in police custody in Grand Rapids, Mich., after he has been charged by police with infecting an unknown number of people with HIV.
Authorities in Grand Rapids, said David Smith, 51, was arrested after he turned himself in and confessed to police that he was infecting sexual partners with the human immunodeficiency virus, according to woodtv.com, which reported the story Wednesday.
Smith was charged Dec. 24 with having sex with at least one woman without informing her of his HIV condition. Officers stated when Smith arrived to the police station he immediately made admissions.
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“He said he wanted help. That he wanted to be stopped,” Grand Rapids Police Capt. Jeff Hertel said, according to Mlive.com, in Grand Rapids.
Police suspect Smith could be responsible for infecting many people with the HIV virus after allegedly admitting to intentionally spreading the virus. Health authorities said he told police hundreds could be infected.
“He stated he was HIV positive and had been knowingly having unprotected sex with people,” Police Sgt. James Potter said in a statement. “He claimed there were multiple partners but he only knew of a few victims’ names.”
The Kent County Health Department is concerned about the number of possible victims, a spokeswoman said. “We want to make sure that anyone who may have injected drugs with [Smith], who may have had sex with him, does come forward and get tested.”
According to UPI.com, Communications Manager Lisa LaPlante said, “We want to make sure that they’re not spreading the virus to anyone else.”
Hertel said Smith went to police on his own to confess his crime. His motivation for wanting to expose others is unclear.
“While the threat of transmission varies based on the activity, this is still an extremely serious public health concern,” authorities said in a press release.
Smith was arraigned Saturday in Grand Rapids District. He is being held in the Kent County Jail on $25,000 bond.
The Christian Post Daily Report 12.30.11
