Man pleads guilty to Walmart coronavirus prank

A Joliet man pleaded guilty to walking around the Route 59 Walmart with a sign on his back that read, “Caution, I have the coronavirus,” while wearing a face mask and spraying Lysol inside the store.

On Wednesday, Tyler Wallace, 21, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct while charges of retail theft and criminal trespass to property were dropped. Judge Art Smigielski sentenced Wallace to court supervision.

The offense occurred on Feb. 2, 2020, at Walmart, 1401 Route 59. Several days beforehand, the World Health Organization had declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Wallace’s attorney, Patty Kalkanis of the Tomczak Law Group, said Wallace will not have the conviction on his record so long as he does not pick up another charge.

“He knows he made a stupid mistake at the time,” Kalkanis said.

Will County State’s Attorney’s spokeswoman Carole Cheney said, based on the witnesses who were present and Wallace’s criminal history, the state proceeded on the disorderly conduct charge.

Wallace was 19 at the time of the incident and there was a 17-year-old with him who had also been arrested and referred to the juvenile justice system.

Joliet police officials said at the time of the incident that their officers responded to Walmart after they were informed two suspects entered the store and one put on a “yellow medical mask.”

The masked man – later identified as Wallace – then started to spray a substance that was later determined to be Lysol on produce, clothing, and health and beauty products, police said.

Wallace wore a handmade sign on his back that said, “Caution, I have the coronavirus,” police said.

The stunt ended up costing more than $7,300 in loss of product, according to Walmart, and the cost of cleanup was in excess of $2,400.