Idaho judge drops virus order violation case over yard sale

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - An Idaho judge dismissed a case against a woman who was cited for holding a yard sale authorities said violated the state's coronavirus stay-at-home order.

Judge Van Valin on Friday dismissed the case brought by officials who said the yard sale was not an "essential business," The Idaho Statesman reported.

Valin ruled the yard sale conducted in April by Christa Thompson of Rathdrum was not a business.

Defense attorney Edward Dindinger said in a statement that the judge ruled the language of the stay-at-home order issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic did not apply to Thompson.

The Rathdrum Police Department said in April that the event was a "large non-essential yard sale" that filled the front yard and spilled into the back yard of her home.

Thompson held the sale "to liquidate her late father-in-law's estate," Dindinger said.

Thompson faced a possible sentence of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.