@ms_pisces_slay/TwitterA copycat prankster shared a video of themselves licking ice cream and putting it back on the supermarket shelf even though the original culprit could have faced prison time for their actions.
Last week, a video went viral in which an unnamed woman cracked open a fresh tub of Blue Bell ice cream and licked the top of it before gleefully placing it back into the freezer of a Walmart store in Lufkin, eastern Texas.
The person behind the camera could be heard encouraging the prank but police certainly didn’t appreciate the joke, as before she was identified as a minor police said the woman could have faced a second-degree felony charge of tampering with a consumer product.
However, presumably Lenise Martin III didn’t care about the threat of jail time when he filmed his version of the video:
This done gotten out of hand. Now his old ass should know better🤦🏽♀️@ILoveBlueBell @WAFB @Kiran_WAFB pic.twitter.com/TKX0jUikok
— Mrs. Franklin (@Ms_Pisces_Slay) July 7, 2019
Footage of the 36-year-old was shared on Twitter, showing him licking ice cream straight from the tub in a supermarket in Belle Rose, Louisiana.
Once again Blue Bell was the product of choice, though Martin took things to a new level of disgusting as he stuck his finger in the ice cream before licking it again.
The tainted product was then returned to the shelf, where it looked like an unsuspecting shopper could pick it up. The store were made aware of the video and Martin returned with a receipt to prove he’d paid for the ice cream, though it’s not immediately clear if he purchased the same tub he’d licked.
The prankster may have simply created the video as a joke before buying the ice cream but if that’s the case it badly backfired as management at the store alerted investigators who questioned Martin and he was later arrested.
WVLT News report he was charged with unlawful posting of criminal activity for notoriety and publicity as well as tampering with property and is currently in jail awaiting a bond which will be set by a judge today (July 8).
A spokesperson for the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office said:
We discourage anyone from copying this atrocious act. It is illegal. It is a health risk to others. We will pursue anyone we see do this. You will be charged.
The spokesperson added notices have been sent out to investigators informing them copycat cases should be dealt with ‘immediately and with the full extent of the law.’
Officers from the Lufkin Police Department refused to publicly name the girl who first performed the prank because of her age but they said they had no plans to charge her as an adult for the crime.
According to KSLA News, they commented:
We do not intend to pursue charges against her as an ‘adult’ and therefore what happens from here is at the discretion of the juvenile justice system.
We cannot speak for them as to what charge she will face in the juvenile justice system.
Hopefully, the threat of prison time will be enough to prevent anyone else from being a copycat; we don’t need this to become a trend.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.