Woman seen licking ice cream tub in Walmart could face 20-year sentence

A woman seen licking a container of ice cream and returning it to a freezer in a Texas Walmart is facing up to 20 years, NBC News reported.

The currently unknown woman can be seen licking a tub of Blue Bell brand ice cream in a Walmart store in Lufkin, Texas. Police said Wednesday they believe the woman entered the store on June 28 about 11 p.m.  

Footage of the incident was shared on Twitter and has been viewed more than 11 million times.

{mosads}The woman could face a second-degree felony charge of tampering with a consumer product, authorities told NBC News. That means she could face a two- to 20-year prison sentence with fines of up to $10,000.

“Our detectives are working to verify the identity of the female suspect before a warrant is issued for her arrest on a charge of second-degree felony tampering with a consumer product,” a police spokesperson told NBC News.

Authorities are also looking to speak to the person filming the video, who can be heard encouraging the woman to “lick it” and “put it back” on the shelf.

“As that portion of the investigation continues, detectives are focusing on identifying the male (in the green shirt) behind the camera seen in images of the two entering the store together,” the spokesperson continued.

In a Facebook post, Lufkin Fire and Police shared that Blue Bell had pulled all of the half-gallon containers of the ice cream flavor “Tin Roof,” which the woman can be seen licking, and the city’s Director of Public Safety Gerald Williamson said, “Our biggest concern is consumer safety – in that regard we are glad to see the tainted product off the shelves.”

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