Arrest Warrant Issued for Prankster Seen Licking Blue Bell Ice Cream in Walmart: Reports

Containers of Blue Bell brand ice cream in Fulshear, Texas. Fulshear Police Department

A man who claimed a viral video showing him licking the contents of a Blue Bell ice cream container is now facing up to a year in jail.

Local Texas news station KFDM reported that D'Adrien Anderson was booked just after 10 p.m. on the night of Aug. 22. He posted $1,000 bond.

In the video, posted to his “Dapper Don” Facebook account, Anderson was identified as the person licking the ice cream at a Walmart in Port Arthur, the report said. He then returned the tub to the shelf.

Walmart told the outlet that surveillance footage showed him retrieving the container before any customer could buy it. He then purchased it himself.

Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham said Walmart lost money because it had to replace the ice cream.

“This guy loves publicity even if it’s for the wrong reason,” said District Attorney Bob Wortham. “That can lead to bigger and worse things. If we’re going to save this guy, we have to do it with this case or he’s over the hill.”

“The charge of Class A Criminal Mischief is a result of the monetary loss incurred by Walmart due to the suspect’s actions,” Port Arthur police said in a statement.

Despite the video allegedly being a prank, officials said they are taking it seriously.

“We take it very, very seriously. I know the district attorney takes it very seriously. So hopefully in the next 24 hours, we‘ll have all our evidence gathered, and we’ll walk it over to the district attorney’s office,” said Det. Mike Hebert with the Port Arthur Police Department, ABC13 reported.

Anderson and his father returned to Walmart to show police the receipt for the Blue Bell ice cream. The father said Anderson was trying to generate Facebook “likes.”

His video gained more than 100,000 views on Facebook.

However, users weren’t happy with “Don’s” attempt at a prank.

“I been done with blue bell after the second video of randoms licking ice cream popped up online,” one person wrote.

Another said, “It dont matter receipt or not he did this inside the store before purchasing it anyone doing this stuff needs to be arrested.”

A third replied, “I don’t see the funny part of this it looks really ignorant and childish.”

Walmart also issued a statement about the matter.

“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,” the chain wrote.

“The safety of our ice cream is our highest priority, and we work hard to maintain the highest level of confidence of our customers. We view the tampering of our products very seriously,” Blue Bell spokesperson Jenny Van Dorf also said, reported 12 News Now.

It comes weeks after a teenage girl and a Louisiana man were investigated for similar stunts involving Blue Bell ice cream.

Lenise Martin III told WVLA that it was a joke and a misunderstanding.

“It was a joke with no criminal intent or activity … but I was locked up with murderers and real criminals on maxim security,” said Martin in an interview with the news outlet last month, which showed him smiling and holding the ice cream.

Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office Commander Lonny Cavalier told CNN that Martin, who showed officials receipts to suggest that he had purchased the ice cream after licking it, wasn’t absolved of his crimes.