Delaware woman arrested for Ebola scare

Police say a New Castle woman’s false report initiated an emergency Ebola screening after she called 911 four separate times on Tuesday.

New Castle County Police say 25-year-old Chastity Lynch caused an Ebola scare for emergency workers around 11 a.m. Tuesday. As a result of Lynch’s interaction withs emergency responders, a group of top level county leaders were pressed into action to coordinate the response with state officials.

“With the seriousness of the information initially provided, immediate action was necessary,” said New Castle County Police Chief Col. Elmer Setting. “While we will always err on the side of caution to protect our citizens, the end result of this incident was an unnecessary use of valuable resources.”

Lynch had made several visits to the hospital to request pain medication on Tuesday. She would then leave the hospital without notifying hospital staff. She was arrested on her final visit for trying to obtain a controlled substance or prescription medication by deception.

Lynch is being held at Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution after failing to post $2,500 secured bail. She’s also been ordered to have no adverse contact with the Emergency Services Communication Division.