One of three practical jokers who participated in the viral video trend of licking Blue Bell ice cream before placing the cartons back in grocery store freezers has since pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. In July 2019, at least three separate individuals were caught on camera practicing this gross trend, weirding out onlookers, and turning off customers. Blue Bell wasn’t impressed by any stretch of the imagination. Walmart (in one instance) was forced to empty its shelves of the entire product. And Texans (not to mention people from across the country) had a social media heyday over the matter.
The video capturing the Port Arthur Walmart incident supported the case for the misdemeanor charge in the matter. Posted to social media in August 2019, it showed a man running his tongue along the top of a tub of Blue Bell ice cream in a circular motion before putting his finger in it to try more, and proceeding to lick it again. Following that, he placed the container back in the freezer where he found it, which lead to the removal of all Blue Bell product from the Port Arthur Walmart over health concerns. “If food is tampered with, or a customer wants to leave the impression that they left behind adulterated product, we will move quickly with law enforcement to identify, apprehend and prosecute those who think this is a joke – it is not,” Walmart identified in a statement at the time of the incident.
