A Florida mother who was recently arrested after admitting she filmed her daughter licking a tongue depressor at a doctor’s office before the girl put it back into a container was warned to stay off social media.
Cori Ward, 30, was charged with tampering with a consumer product without regard for possible death or bodily injury, a felony.
Ward made her first court appearance on July 12. The judge told her she cannot go onto social media or have any contact with the doctor’s office, reported Alicia Tarancon of Action News Jax.
Before the order, Ward had gone onto her Facebook to hit back at critics who claimed the stunt was part of the mayhem fueled by a girl in Texas who filmed herself opening an ice cream container, licking its contents, and placing it back into a freezer.
BREAKING: Cori Ward, the mother who was arrested after taping her daughter licking tongue depressors at a doctors office had her bond set to $2,500. She’s been told she cannot have contact with the doctor’s office or any social media @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/RolOSAyOZ7
— Alicia Tarancon (@AliciaANJax) July 12, 2019
“What I didn’t know was that there was a “licking challenge” as I don’t scroll social media like that,” Ward wrote, reported First Coast News.
She also said that the depressor was thrown away along with other unspecified items.
“The video doesn’t show that the items were thrown away or anything else that happened,” Ward added. “I posted this on my personal Snapchat with my 20-something friends, where someone allowed another person to video it. I didn’t post it on Facebook or YouTube as a challenge or whatever.”
She later deleted her Facebook account.
Ward previously told News4Jax that she filmed the footage and posted it to Snapchat.
“I was just being silly with my kids,” she said.
“It’s ruined my life right now. That’s how I feel at least,” she added.
Ward told another outlet that when she filmed the video she wasn’t thinking before defending what she did.
“I know what it’s like to, you know, have to worry about your kids’ health and stuff. I would never put somebody else’s kid at risk,” she told Action News Jax.
“I’m sorry for anyone that it’s offended. It should have never been taken this far,” she added.
The broadcaster’s legal expert, Dale Carson, said that the charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
The office where the incident took place was identified as the All About Kids and Families Medical Center in Duval.
I spoke to Cori Ward yesterday. She apologized and said she regretted taking the video. @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/duVnVOMKsw
— Beth Rousseau (@BethANJax) July 11, 2019
In a statement sent to news outlets, the center stated: “We were notified yesterday that a patient violated our trust with behavior that is inconsistent with the practices and standards that we uphold and expect at our facility.
“Upon notification of this isolated incident, we contacted law enforcement to request a full and thorough investigation. In addition, we immediately removed all materials and container from the specific exam room and re-sanitized our entire facility. Our internal investigation does not reveal any resulting risks or harm to patients from this action.
“This type of behavior is not tolerated at All About Kids and Families Medical Center. Each year, we serve thousands of patients, and providing quality care and ensuring their safety is our top priority.”
