A Connecticut man with lengthy criminal record was arrested again for allegedly presenting a fake COVID-19 positive test result in order to avoid appearing for a bond hearing before Christmas.
Junior Jumpp, 31, of Hartford, Conn., was arrested Tuesday and newly charged with one count of forgery in the second degree and one count of fabricating physical evidence.
Prosecutors argue he illegally fabricated a positive COVID-19 test notification to avoid appearing before Superior Court Judge Maureen Keegan at a scheduled bond review hearing on Nov. 30.
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Jumpp had been out on bond following his arrest in connection with “a number of criminal cases” pending in the New Britain Judicial District, according to an arrest affidavit. His bond conditions required that he not be arrested in connection with any other crimes for which probable cause is found.
Junior Jumpp is currently being held on a $25,000 bond.
(CT Division of Criminal Justice)
Members of the Hartford Police Department arrested Jumpp on a warrant on Nov. 16 charging him with threatening in the second degree and breach of peace in the second degree.
Just ten days later, he found himself in trouble with the law again when members of the South Windsor Police Department arrested Jumpp again on Nov. 26 on a warrant charging him with interfering with an officer and breach of peace in the second degree. Jumpp was ordered to appear before Judge Keegan due to his non-compliance with conditions of release.
Jumpp emailed the judge directly that day pleading with her to allow him at least two weeks with his children before sending him back to jail. A day before his scheduled hearing, Jumpp’s defense attorney told investigators his client texted him a photo of a “positive COVID MyCare message.”
The lawyer took a screenshot and emailed it to the judge, who then excused Jumpp from the hearing. But a representative for Trinity Health of New England/ Saint Francis Hospital later confirmed to the court that the image was altered, pointing to the image’s date and Jumpp’s name.
Further review of COVID medical records obtained through a search warrant revealed that Jumpp’s MyCare account had been inactive, and he therefore would not have received any test notification.
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Jumpp is currently being held on a $25,000 bond in this case. He has 11 pending cases at Superior Court, New Britain, and one pending case at Superior Court, Hartford, which is being transferred.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2022. Forgery in second degree and fabrication of physical evidence are both felonies punishable by between one and 5 years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine, according to prosecutors.
