California Woman Arrested for Licking Cart-Full of Items at Grocery Store Amid Coronavirus Concerns

While more than 1.5 billion people are engaged in some kind of social distancing guidelines to help slow the spread of coronavirus, not everyone has taken a helpful approach. Such was the case with Jennifer Walker, who was arrested in Lake Tahoe, California after licking a cart filled with items at a local grocery store. The Tahoe Daily Tribune describes the incident as “a licking spree.”

Officers responded after a store employee saw Walker allegedly put numerous pieces of jewelry for sale in her hands. She then started licking the jewelry after she began to load her cart with various other items from their shelves. When officers approached Walker, her cart totaled roughly $1,800. However, it was determined she had no means to pay, and the times were no longer sellable.

Walker was arrested for felony vandalism and booked in the El Dorado County Jail. Her bail is currently set at $10,000.

The behavior is far from an isolated case since coronavirus has slowly disrupted almost every aspect of day-to-day life. Back on March 15, just two days after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in the U.S., a TikTok influencer started the “coronavirus challenge” by licking a toilet seat. They later tested positive for COVID-19.

On April 1, a bank in British Columbia, Canada was employing a “seniors only” hour to allow more at-risk customers to tend to their business. While several people waited outside for their turn, while staying six feet apart, no less, one man grew irate with the situation, then both licked and coughed on the handle to the bank’s front door.

“The manager and employees handled this situation perfectly,” one witness reported, according to Viral Hog. “The police have been notified with his license plate number and have been sent a copy of this video.”

In Thailand, just one day prior to the bank incident, 56-year-old Anan Sahoh was spotted by security footage spitting in the face of another man who was in line to buy tickets. Despite having his temperature taken before boarding, which is common practice there under the circumstances, Sahoh was later found dead near one of the train’s bathrooms. Authorities were last reported to be on the lookout of the man who he’d spit on.

There are currently 261,437 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., with 16,513 deaths and 25,410 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University. For those interested in helping during the pandemic, there are some pointers here.