Lufkin Police: Ice Cream Licker Video Linked to Local Walmart

Lufkin Police Department is investigating the viral video of a woman licking Blue Bell ice cream and putting it back in the display case.

According to the LPD, the video hit social media June 28, launching an investigation that led from Walmart stores in San Antonio to Houston and eventually Lufkin.

Early this week social media commenters  identified the woman seen licking a half-gallon of “Tin Roof” as being from San Antonio. That lead San Antonio law enforcement to believe it was one of their Walmart stores. A store display case matching the one in the video could not be found.

The search then went to Houston Walmart stores after investigators learned the identified woman may be living with a boyfriend in that area. Again, a store display case matching the one in the video could not be found.

Earlier this morning, Blue Bell corporate instructed all of its division managers to see if they could identify the store location. Within an hour of the corporate plea, a  Lufkin division manager called, saying he believed it was Lufkin Walmart. He based this on the store’s unique merchandising which matched the video.

At 1:10 p.m. today, Blue Bell contacted us, saying that they believed the viral video took place in the Lufkin Walmart store and that they had retrieved what they believed to be the tainted container of ice cream.

By 4 p.m., detectives had obtained surveillance video placing a woman matching the suspect description in the Lufkin store on June 28 around 11 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. “We are recommending that as a precaution Blue Bell remove products from the Lufkin Walmart shelves until our investigation is complete.”