Those with an impish spirit will often find themselves learning an important lesson quickly. Namely, that there’s a fine line between a harmless prank and a serious hazard.
And although it’s not hard to see why covering a stop sign or throwing water balloons filled with pee will end badly for anyone wild enough to do such things, sometimes the serious consequences aren’t so obvious with these stunts.
Indeed, even small acts of mischief can carry some big consequences.
And there isn’t much that demonstrates that better than a recent viral clips that prompted the hunt for one rogue ice-cream licker in Texas.
Last Friday, a short video of a woman at a market in Lufkin,Texas found its way around social media.
In it, she can be seen opening a half-gallon tub of Blue Bell ice cream next to the freezers and licking the contents.
On its own, this wouldn’t have been worth mentioning, but it’s what she did next that had people in an uproar.
After she gleefully licks the ice cream, she closes up the tub and puts it back in the freezer.
Her actions earned her some scornful reactions from Twitter users, but they weren’t the only ones paying attention.
As USA Today reported , Lufkin’s public safety director, Gerald Williamson called the act “disturbing” and went on to say, “We’re appalled that someone would do this. We take it incredibly seriously and we’re acting on it as the major crime that it is.”
If this statement seems like an overreaction, there’s more going on here than just a slightly icky feeling.
Because we don’t know what kind of germs the woman is carrying around, the fact that she added her saliva to the ice cream means she’s contaminated it.
This then turns shopping for ice cream at that store into an unfortunate game of roulette.
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Fortunately, Blue Bell Creameries are just as aware of the situation as police are and have stepped in to remove the tainted ice cream.
After tasking their district managers with locating the store in question, they believe they found the compromised tub in a Walmart.
However, they weren’t so sure about that that they just got rid of one tub and considered the problem solved.
So to be safe, they also removed all tubs of the relevant “Tin Roof” flavor from that location. The difference between being 90% sure and 100% is a big one when there’s a public health risk afoot.
While the company was tracking the affected goods down, Lufkin police started searching for the woman responsible.
They were able to pinpoint the store in question thanks to what they described as “unique merchandising” that matched what was seen in the video.
Once they accomplished that, they were able to gain access to the store’s surveillance videos.
After reviewing footage that showed her leaving the store with a male companion, police now believe they’ve identified the suspect.
If they’re correct, the woman involved can expect to be charged for tampering with a consumer product, which is a second-degree felony.
As a representative from Lufkin police told USA Today , the police department is in contact with the FDA to determine whether federal charges are also appropriate.
Even if no such charges are filed, Texas has a strict punishment for this kind of behavior all on its own.
Tampering with a consumer product can carry a punishment ranging between two and 20 years imprisonment in the Lone Star state.
h/t: USA Today
