Associated Press (08/30/88)
Charleston County police made their first arrest last week under a new
South Carolina law making it illegal for an HIV-positive person to
knowingly expose another person without warning them. James Michael
Pittman faces a felony count with a possible penalty of a $5,000 fine and
10 years years in jail. A circuit court judge signed an order last
Friday to allow the release of state Department of Health and
Environemental Control records of Pittman's test. Lowcountry District of
Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services Director Joe Hall called the arrest
an "awful precedent." Hall said he was concerned that the new law would
prevent people from being tested. The cases of people who knowingly
spread the virus should be reviewed by a team of workers from several
agencies to determine what type of treatment they need, Hall said. The
AIDS worker says the law is a sign people still think "we can track AIDS
down and nail it and kill it. That's not going to happen."