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Police identify Texas Walmart where woman licked Blue Bell ice cream

Posted at 7:05 PM, Jul 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-03 22:07:04-04

TEXAS — The Lufkin Police Department says they are investigating the viral video of a woman licking Blue Bell ice cream and putting it back in the display case.

The video hit social media June 28, launching an investigation that led from Walmart stores in San Antonio to Houston and eventually Lufkin. According to the police department, social media users identified the woman seen licking a half-gallon of “Tin Roof” as being from San Antonio. San Antonio law enforcement searched their Walmart stores but a display case matching the one in the video could not be found.

Houston Walmart stores were searched after investigators say they learned the identified woman may be living with a boyfriend in that area. Once again, law enforcement says a store display case matching the one in the video could not be found.

On Wednesday morning, Blue Bell corporate instructed all of its division managers to see if they could identify the store location. According to police, within an hour of the corporate plea, a Lufkin division manager called, saying he believed it was Lufkin Walmart.

Police say Blue Bell reached out to Lufkin Police and confirmed that they believed the video was shot in the local store. By 4:00 p.m., detectives had obtained surveillance video placing a woman matching the suspect description in the Lufkin store on June 28 around 11:00 p.m.

Detectives believe they have the woman identified and the investigation is ongoing.

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

Blue Bell has removed all half-gallons of “Tin Roof” product from the Lufkin Walmart shelves.