The 24-year-old man who allegedly posted a social media video of himself licking Blue Bell ice cream from a carton and returning it to a supermarket freezer gave an apology.
When 12News asked about whether or not he regretted his prank, he said: “Yeah, of course I do.”
Then he explained why he was regretful.
“Because everybody upset when you like licking the ice cream,” D’Adrien Anderson said. “Nobody would buy it anymore, but I still love Blue Bell so hopefully they don’t ban me from buying it.”
The 24-year-old was released from jail after he paid the $1,000 bond out of his own pocket, CBS 19 reported.
His inmates recognized him when he was in jail due to the news coverage of the incident.
After the video went viral on social media, Walmart suffered monetary loss because they were forced to restock the ice cream.
Anderson was fired from his job due to the viral incident.
The incident happened Aug. 19 night at a Walmart in Port Arthur. Authorities said store surveillance cameras show the man finally take the Blue Bell ice cream out of the freezer and buy it, which isn’t captured in the social media video.
It’s time for people to grow up. This MAN is 24, his name is D’Adrien Anderson, according to Port Arthur Police. https://t.co/kYot4lkU2x pic.twitter.com/NHDtlhNbwS
— Gerald Tracy (@GTracySA) August 23, 2019
Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham told KFDM-TV the store was forced to dump its Blue Bell ice cream at considerable cost.
Anderson has no listed phone number.
Port Arthur is about 85 miles east of Houston.
Ice Cream Protection
After several “ice cream licking” videos went viral and were met with horror by millions of people, some stores have taken drastic measures.
In the first viral case, a teenager was seen licking a container of Blue Bell ice cream at a Walmart near San Antonio, Texas. A man in Louisiana was arrested after doing the same to a Blue Bell tub.
Texas Walmart has ‘armed’ employee guarding Blue Bell ice cream from lickers: https://t.co/kSJNYy3g0R pic.twitter.com/QNyD4oZQb7
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) July 4, 2019
According to Mashable, citing several social media photos shot around the United States, some stores are taking extra measures to protect ice cream from potential tampering.
Those measures include displaying warning signs, security, a lock on the freezer door, and a button to call for an employee.
The Associated Press and Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
