Suspect who licked ice cream tub in viral video identified
The suspect at the centre of a viral video who is seen licking the inside of an ice cream tub and returning it to a supermarket shelf has been identified.
Lufkin Police Department spokeswoman Jessica Pebsworth told Yahoo Lifestyle on Friday (local time) the woman in question was a juvenile from San Antonio, Texas, and her identity had not been publicly released.
The case will be turned over to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
The police department obtained surveillance footage from inside a Texas Walmart store and also identified the man who was heard egging on the teen in the video.
His identity has not been made public either and the case remains under investigation, Ms Pebsworth said.
Officials released an image of the pair entering the store together in a Facebook post.
Blue Bell Creameries spokeswoman Jenny Van Dorf told Yahoo Lifestyle she believed the company was able to recover the tub that was tampered with.
They have also removed all other tubs of the Tin Roof ice cream flavour from the Walmart out of “an abundance of caution”.
People were horrified after a video surfaced online showing a woman licking a tub of ice cream in a grocery store and then returning it to the freezer.
A Twitter user posted the video on Saturday, calling the action “psychotic behaviour”.
In the clip, a person is heard egging on the woman to lick the Blue Bell Creameries Tin Roof-flavoured ice cream and then telling her to put it back in the freezer.
People on Twitter were alarmed and made sure to let Blue Bell Creameries know.
The company responded to their messages, assuring consumers they “take the issue very seriously”.
Some Twitter users took issue with the fact Blue Bell Ice Cream doesn’t have a seal to deter people from tampering with their products.
But Ms Van Dorf told Yahoo Lifestyle their ice cream tubs were protected by a natural seal and it should be clear to a customer if their product has been opened.
What kinda psychopathic behavior is this?! pic.twitter.com/T8AIdGpmuS
— Optimus Primal (@BlindDensetsu) June 29, 2019
Hello! We want to thank our consumers for alerting us to the recent food tampering incident. We take this issue very seriously and are currently working with the appropriate authorities. For more information, please click here https://t.co/bs2Uaq6BiR
— Blue Bell Ice Cream (@ILoveBlueBell) July 1, 2019
“During production, our half gallons are flipped upside down and sent to a hardening room where the ice cream freezes to the lid creating a natural seal,” Ms Van Dorf said.
“The lids are frozen tightly to the carton, any attempt at opening the product should be noticeable.”
Others were shocked licking the tub was not a criminal offence because of how harmful it could be for people who were immunocompromised.
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