A 36-year-old man from Louisiana inspired by a viral video of a woman licking an ice cream tub was caught on camera doing the same thing in a supermarket, police said.
Deputies in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, arrested Lenise Martin III on Saturday after employees at a grocery store in Belle Rose, Louisiana, tipped the authorities, Commander Lonny Cavalier told CNN.
Cavalier said someone had recorded Martin licking the carton of Blue Bell ice cream with his finger after he pulled the carton from the grocery store shelf.
Detectives say they later found evidence that Martin posted the video to his Facebook page. Martin also showed law enforcement officials a receipt for the contaminated Blue Bell ice cream, Cavalier said.
Police later charged him with one count of unlawful posting of criminal activity for notoriety and publicity and one count of criminal mischief.
“Taking into consideration that he eventually purchased the same container is one thing,” Cavalier said.
“However he puts it on Facebook to gain this notoriety and at the end of the day, it gives other people ideas that are not the best interest of public health,” Cavalier added.
Martin is in police custody until a judge sets his bond.
Martin is the second person in the past few weeks to be caught on video licking Blue Bell ice cream in a supermarket without paying for it.
The first woman who got caught on camera defiling the frozen dessert went viral after someone posted the video of the encounter to Twitter. It also prompted Blue Bell Creameries to issue a response on its website to ensure its products are safe to eat.
“This type of incident will not be tolerated,” Blue Bell said in a pop-up statement on its website. “Food safety is a top priority, and we work hard to provide a safe product and maintain the highest level of confidence from our consumers.”
Police later identified the Lufkin, Texas, Walmart where the woman licked the ice cream and identified the suspect as a juvenile since she is under the age of 18.