Thread by @graywolf442

NT! Another area of comments that I've been responding to over the past couple of days regards the "Lufkin Licker" girl, who disgusted the Nation with her act of licking the top of a carton of Blue Bell Ice Cream, and then putting it back.

Here are the facts as *I* know them. This occurred at the Walmart store in Lufkin, TX. She was accompanied by her boyfriend, who I presume is the one who filmed her unlawful act.

She is a minor, so her name is not going to be released, although law enforcement has identified both her and her boyfriend, have talked to both of them, and they've admitted doing the deed.

She has been turned over to juvenile authorities in Texas, who will decide on what consequences she will face. They are still debating what to do with her boyfriend, as I am assuming that he is an adult, from the latest report I've seen.

They are not going to charge her as an adult, for which she could have faced second degree felony charges for food tampering, which carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years upon conviction. That's a long time for something that stupid.

I'm angry with her for doing this. It was disgusting, and beyond that, potentially put someone at risk of some type of unknown disease. We don't know if she's healthy or not, although my bet is that she has no communicable health issues.

For those of you not old enough to remember, back in 1982 in Chicago, seven people died from potassium cyanide poisoning after taking Tylenol capsules that were tampered with, as well as several more in copy cat incidents.

No suspect was ever identified or charged with this crime, although New York City resident James William Lewis was considered a prime suspect after trying to extort Johnson & Johnson $1 million dollars to make it stop. He was convicted of that crime.

As a result of these poisonings, a national panic ensued, all Tylenol capsule products were immediately removed from store shelves (along with other brands), and new product packaging was mandated to ensure the protection of the public.

Source link for some of the information stated here -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_T…

Now you know why *everything* is packaged in such ways as to make it nearly impossible for you to get to the product you purchased, which brings me back to the Blue Bell ice cream.

They don't use a plastic film over their product under the lid, such as Haagen-Dazs® does (among others), or a plastic strip around the outside of the lid as Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream (among others) does.

Instead, Blue Bell (among others) freezes their product upside down, creating a seal between the lid and their product, which makes it very obvious when a carton of ice cream has been opened. All are acceptable methods, per the FDA.

Now, one of the discussions I've had regards consequences to the girl, and by extension, her family. One argument is "LOCK HER UP!!!!". The other is that Blue Bell should sue the family into oblivion to recoup their costs.

If she were an adult, I'd agree with the idea of putting her in prison (if convicted), for a number of years, but not the full 20. I think that's over kill, tbh. But, because she's a minor, that's not going to happen.

More than likely, she'll be fined "X" amount, and ordered to perform some sort of community service, and be banned from the Lufkin Walmart.

As to her family being sued into oblivion? What if, after having it explained to her how serious what did was, she felt *true* remorse, and asked for forgiveness, with her family issuing a public apology for what she did? What then?

Are we such a litigious society that we want to see someone financially ruined for life, for such a stupid thing? Yes, it *was* wrong what she did, and she *does* deserve to face some type of consequences for her actions. But her family, too?

That decision, whether to sue them in civil court or not, rests entirely with Blue Bell, not any one of us. We don't really have any skin in this game, other than our disgust over her act, but Blue Bell does. Let them decide what to do.

If you're still of the mind that the family should be sued to recover the costs, plus punitive damages, let me ask you a couple of things. Do *you* have kids? If so, and they did something stupid, would *you* want to be financially ruined for life?

Didn't think so.