He made racial and sexual comments. Then he spit and said he had several diseases, cops say.

Waveland police say a Picayune man may have spread a potentially life-threatening disease before his arrest this week.

Waveland police Assistant Chief Michael Pendergrast said in a news release that Richard Bruce Carver, 49, of Picayune was arrested Thursday on the charges of knowingly exposing another person to a disease such as HIV or hepatitis, shoplifting and simple assault.

Pendergrast said Carver was sitting outside a Waveland business when he started making racial and sexually-oriented comments to a female who was outside of the business smoking. He said when the woman asked Carver to leave, he cursed at her and spit in her face.

Carver told an officer on scene that he had “multiple communicable diseases.”

Carver also is accused of stealing some items from the business, Pendegrast said. He is being held in lieu of a $7,000 bond at the Hancock County jail.

Pendergrast said Carver will be tested to determine whether he has any diseases.

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 11:06 AM with the headline "He made racial and sexual comments. Then he spit and said he had several diseases, cops say.."