Police identify person in video licking Blue Bell ice cream in Walmart as juvenile

LUFKIN, Texas — Authorities in East Texas said they have identified the person seen in a viral video licking a tub of Blue Bell ice cream in a Walmart store then returning it to the freezer shelf last week as a juvenile from San Antonio, according to news reports.

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The video was uploaded to social media Friday and has since been viewed over 10 million times.

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Lufkin police issued a statement Friday saying they had identified the person in the video as a juvenile from San Antonio. She is tied to the Lufkin area, located in East Texas, through her boyfriend's family. Police said they spoke with the juvenile and with her boyfriend, who is an adult, and that both were "forthcoming" and admitted their actions.

"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," police wrote. "As to whether her boyfriend will face charges, we are currently discussing his involvement with prosecutors."

Investigators first thought the incident had occurred at a Walmart in San Antonio, but after Blue Bell put out a call for help in identifying the store, a Walmart manager in Lufkin, Texas, reported that he matched the store’s merchandising with that in the video.

Blue Bell officials contacted Lufkin police Wednesday and said they had found the tainted container of Tin Roof ice cream and had removed all half-gallons of the brand on the shelf.

By Wednesday afternoon, using store surveillance video, investigators said they had identified the woman, but did not publicly release her name.

“Our biggest concern is consumer safety – in that regard we are glad to see the tainted product off the shelves,” said Lufkin Public Safety Director Gerald Williamson.

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