A Florida woman was arrested Thursday for allegedly posting a video to Snapchat showing her 10-year-old daughter lick a tongue depressor and place it back into a jar at a clinic.
Cori Ward, 30, who was charged with tampering with a consumer product without regard for possible death or bodily injury, was ordered to stay off social media during a Friday court hearing. WJXT reported that the viral video was shot Tuesday at All About Kids & Families Medical Center, who said the tainted items have since been removed.
Before being seen by staff, Ward’s daughter allegedly opened the jar containing tongue depressors and grabbed one of them before licking it, putting it back in the jar, and closing the top.
“Don’t tell me how to live my life,” the caption of the Snapchat video says.
According to WLTV, Ward claimed that the video wasn’t part of a growing trend of people covertly licking items and putting them back. She reportedly also said she shared the video with her “20-something friends” but someone had posted it to Facebook and YouTube, where it went viral.
“What I didn’t know was that there was a ‘licking challenge’ as I don’t scroll social media like that,” Ward reportedly wrote in a post on her now-deleted Facebook profile.
Ward was reportedly released from jail Friday after her father posted $25,000 bond. Referring to the video and its related backlash, she previously told WJXT, “It’s ruined my life right now. That’s how I feel at least.”
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[Featured image: YouTube video screengrab; Cori Ward/Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office]
