A Nashville woman is being blasted for filming herself spitting into bags of potato chips and drinking from water bottles in a grocery store – before sealing them up and putting them back on the shelf so others could buy them.
The woman – who has been identified as makup artist Libby Barnes, the ex-girlfriend of musician Hunter Hayes – has gone viral for the video of her exploits, which she has since deleted from YouTube.
But horrified social media users are calling her ‘disgusting,’ insisting she should be arrested and jailed for contaminating the food.
A woman identified as makup artist Libby Barnes is being blasted for spitting into bags of chips in a grocery store – and putting them back on the shelf so others could buy them
The clip showed her opening up a bag of potato chips in a Kroger grocery store. She tasted them, and spit some of it back into the bag
Libby, who is from Nashville, Tennessee, then attempted to seal it using a portable flat iron, before she put it back on the shelf with the other unopened bags
In the clip, Libby can be seen opening up a bag of potato chips in a Kroger grocery store, tasting the snack, and then spitting some of the food back out into the bag.
She then attempted to re-seal it using a portable flat iron, before she put it back with the other unopened bags – all while an unknowing store employee stood within feet of her.
She is seen repeating the process a few more times, before opening a bottle of water, taking a sip from it and putting that back on the shelf too.
She also did the same thing with soda and candy, and at one point in the nine-minute clip, she even used toilet paper to wipe her tongue.
It is unclear who is behind the camera, but it appears that Libby does not mind being filmed in it – and she even smiles at the camera many times throughout.
At one point, a man approaches Libby and asks her if she is stealing.
‘I’m not stealing. I plan on buying those things. Mind your own business,’ she responded. ‘I remember where I put it. It’s none of your business, why don’t you mind your own business.’
In the viral nine-minute clip, she is then seen repeating the process a few more times with other bags of chips
She also did the same thing with bottles of water, soda cans and candy, and at one point, she even used toilet paper to wipe her tongue
According to TooFab, Libby did pay for the items before she left the store.
‘The safety of our customers and associates is our top priority,’ Kroger told the site statement.
‘As soon as we received notification of the video circulating that involved one of our stores in the Nashville division, we began our own investigation.
‘Through the quick action of our team, we were able to verify the items used for the video were not left behind on the shelf and were purchased by the individuals involved.
‘This video is disturbing even if intended as a prank. It is important to remember that tampering with consumer packaging is a criminal offense.’
After it made its way around the internet, many people shared their thoughts about the ‘disgusting’ clip, and some said she should be arrested.
‘Food tampering is illegal both under state and federal tampering laws and people do get charged when tampering with food in stores,’ one Reddit user wrote.
A man finally approached Libby and asked her if she was stealing. She responded: ‘I plan on buying those things. Mind your own business’
Another added: ‘Potential second degree felony if they actually left the things they tampered with behind.
‘Criminal mischief and unlawful posting of criminal activity for notoriety and publicity even if they did buy the items they f**ked with.’
Someone else said: ‘I think she should be arrested and prosecuted for tampering with food.
‘Imagine getting one of these opened and spit in bags and giving it to one of your kids, your mom or a grandparent.
‘What if she was carrying COVID, the flu or some other garbage. This person is pond scum.’
According to the United States Department of Justice, ‘tampering or attempted tampering with any consumer product is prohibited.’
Libby has not responded to the public backlash, but has she has deleted her Instagram account and removed all of her content from YouTube.
Some internet sleuths on Reddit have claimed that they identified the woman as Libby, who once dated country singer Hunter Hayes
According to the United States Department of Justice, ‘tampering with any consumer product is prohibited,’ and many people have said she should be arrested after the incident
It turns out, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Back in August 2019, a Texas man named D’Adrien Anderson, 24, filmed himself licking some ice cream at a Walmart in Lufkin, and then putting it back in the freezer.
Surveillance footage showed him later going back to buy the ice cream. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $1,000.
He also had to pay $1,565 to the ice-cream company Blue Bell and complete 100 hours of community service.
‘If food is tampered with, or a customer wants to leave the impression that they left behind adulterated product, we will move quickly with law enforcement to identify, apprehend, and prosecute those who think this is a joke,’ a Walmart representative said in a statement at the time. ‘It is not.’
A 15-year-old boy was also arrested in July 2019 after he spit into an Arizona Iced Tea bottle at an Albertsons market in Odessa, Texas, before placing it back on the shelf.
According to KOSA, he told cops he thought the drink was ‘gross’ after taking a sip, which is why he put it back.
He was charged with tampering with a consumer product and was transferred to a juvenile detention center.