Tuscaloosa Police Department on Wednesday arrested Alabama offensive lineman Elijah Pritchett on suspicion of knowingly transmitting a sexually transmitted disease (STD). According to AL.com, the 19-year-old student-athlete posted a $500 bond after he was charged over the incident.
A warrant for Pritchett’s arrest was issued after a December 13 report was filed against him. “Any person afflicted with a sexually transmitted disease who shall knowingly transmit, or assume the risk of transmitting, or do any act which will probably or likely transmit such disease to another person,” AL Code § 22-11A-21 states.
If found guilty, Pritchett could be sentenced to 3 months in jail or receive up to $500 in fines. The charge is a Class C Misdemeanor.
Last year, Face2Face Africa reported that Oklahoma authorities had brought charges against a male HIV patient who is said to have knowingly infected at least three women with the virus. In an interview with FOX 25, one of Ernest Lacour’s victims said she decided to share her story to caution others.
Lacour was charged with three counts of knowingly engaging in conduct to transfer HIV. “It’s a deadly disease, but you can still live your life,” Lacour’s victim said at the time. “I don’t have AIDS and I still have a life to live.”
The victim said Lacour and her started being intimate in 2021. She said she was diagnosed with the virus after she sought treatment for an illness. “I would just faint and pass out,” she recalled. “I would get so lightheaded that I would have these episodes and throw up for weeks.”