Connecticut man, 31, has been charged for FAKING positive COVID test

A Connecticut man with a long rap sheet has been arrested again after faking a positive COVID-19 test to get out of a bond hearing.

Junior Jumpp, 31, was arrested on Tuesday after sending his attorney a fabricated screenshot of a positive COVID-19 test from St. Francis Care in Hartford to get out of a November 30 bond hearing, an arrest affidavit revealed.

Jumpp, of Hartford, was scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court for two separate run-ins with police in which he faced breach of peace charges when he sent a picture of him holding a phone with an image of a positive result to his lawyers on November 29.

Jumpp also wrote an email to Judge Maureen Keegan claiming he had 'recently tested positive for covid.'

'However, my attorney told me to be on the stand while he talks to you guys, however, I told him if you still want me to come I will, because all due respect, I feel as if [you] may want to raise my bond today which [I] am cool with, but given the fact that my bond [is] already excessive in its amount, I don't know how much more [you] can raise it up by giving me breach of peace and interfering arrest,' his email read.

His attorney told Keegan he 'did not know Jumpp's location when Jumpp sent him the photograph via text message.'

Keegan excused him from attending the hearing but upon further review of the image submitted by his lawyer, the court noticed that the date was a 'different letter size and theme font than the rest of the message.'

The court also contacted the Trinity Health of New England/St. Francis healthcare facility at which Jumpp purported to have taken the test. A staff member of its MyCare app 'confirmed that the image was altered.'

Technical support specifically noted the altered text of the date and Jumpp's name, which was written in all caps. His name - which appears in their system under Junior L. Jumpp and Junior Jumpp - would only be printed as it is filed, the clinic said.

The medical facility also combed through documents from September 1 to December 1 to determine if Jumpp had received any treatment during that time frame. They found 'no medical records...regarding treatment, testing, or a positive diagnosis of COVID.'

The healthcare facility also confirmed that both accounts under Jumpp's name were 'inactive' and, therefore, he would not have received test results through the portal.

'Patient did not receive any messages to their MyCare account,' the affidavit said.

Keegan wasted no time in charging Jumpp with forgery and tampering with physical evidence. He faces one to five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine if convicted.

Jumpp is now being held on a $25,000 bond and has 11 pending cases in New Britain and one in Hartford.

The cases that he had been scheduled to appear in court involved a Nov. 16 incident when he was arrested in Hartford with threatening in the second degree and breach of peace in the second degree.

On Nov. 26, South Windsor police arrested him on a warrant charging him with interfering with an officer and breach of peace in the second degree.