August 31, 2009

HIV-Positive Miami Man Sentenced 15 Years for Biting Police Officer

After threatening to kill a Miami police officer with HIV and then biting him, Johnson Jamerson was sentenced to 15 years in prison, The Miami Herald reports. Jamerson was convicted in June of attacked officer Matthew Hall while trying to break from a police bus bound for jail.

Jamerson, a clinically diagnosed schizophrenic, was taken into custody in January 2008 for trespassing charges after he was found sleeping under the Interstate 395 bridge at North Miami Avenue.

Jamerson was able to get out of his handcuffs while riding in the police bus. Hall wrestled with the prisoner, and during the scuffle, Jamerson announced that he was HIV positive and threatened to kill Hall. Then he proceeded to wound the officer by biting his shin. Although Jamerson drew blood and caused a permanent mark, Hall has since tested negative for HIV.

However, according to the article, Hall had to wait “eight anxious months” before he got the final negative test results. In addition, Miami-Dade prosecutor Ankur Sevak told the judge that Hall had to avoid intimate “contact with his wife or children for fear he could severely affect them.”

Jamerson, a repeat offender, was originally charged with attempted murder. However, jurors found him guilty of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer.

Search: biting, criminalization, Miami-Dade, Florida, aggravated battery

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Previous Comments:

Mario, Palm Springs, 2009-09-01 16:56:54
Well said Eliza. I get so frustrated that after all these years of HIV being around there are still so many ignorant peple. Um, hello, people don't get HIV from a bite. I don't think that Jamerson should be let off completely, he did attack a police officer, and tried to escape custody, afterall. 15 years seems a little steep, but it mentioned he is a repeat offender, what are his previous offenses?

eliza, augusta, ME, 2009-09-01 11:27:56
Unbelievable...15 years for biting the cop...and why would anyone have to wait 8 months for the results? How about 6? So the cop couldn't have unprotected sex with his wife, but he could use condoms! And, if he's having "intimate contact" with his kids, the cop should be in prison too! This poor guy, Jamerson, arrested for sleeping under a bridge? That is such a good way to treat the problem of homelessness-NOT! And where was his mental health care? Oh wait, we live in the USA...