A male prankster has been arrested in connection with a social media post involving the spraying of pesticides on produce and other foods at a Mesa Walmart store.

According to police, Charles Smith, 27, entered the Walmart at 1955 S. Stapley Dr. on Dec. 19 intending to film pranks for social media platforms.

Instead, police said Smith grabbed a can of Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug and Flea Killer from a shelf without paying for it and then sprayed the pesticide on various vegetables, fruit and rotisserie chickens that were available for purchase.

Smith recorded his face, the pesticide can and the act of him spraying its contents. He later posted the recording online.

  • kameecoding@lemmy.worldEnglish
    65·
    13 hours ago

    From the last wave of pranks when people licked ice creams and put it back I have learned that messing with food is a federal crime in the US and is taken quite seriously.

    • stoly@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      31 minutes ago

      That’s because it’s an easy way to cause the death of children. People become angry, understandably.

    • Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.worldEnglish
      41·
      5 hours ago

      Uh oh, but will that department get the ax after inauguration? Might be time to do delivery only groceries. Where I live they come from special stores with no general public access.

      • MutilationWave@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 hour ago

        I think they’d have a harder time getting rid of the FDA than the Department of Education, which sadly is in the crosshairs.

    • Tyfud@lemmy.worldEnglish
      491·
      9 hours ago

      As it should be. The regulations were significantly increased after the Tylenol murders in 1982. It’s also why we have no tamper things on many ingestible items.