JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida mother was arrested Thursday and charged with a felony after a video she took reportedly showed her daughter licking a tongue depressor in a doctor’s office and then putting it back in with unused medical supplies, KWES reported.
Cori E. Ward, 30, faces up to 30 years in prison if she is found guilty of tampering with consumer products without regard for possible death/bodily injury, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Video surfaced online showing Ward’s daughter at All About Kids and Families Medical Center. In the video, the girl is seen touching multiple tongue depressors before taking one out, licking it and putting it back under a sign reading “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH MEDICAL SUPPLIES! THANK YOU.”
Related: Video shows girl licking tongue depressor, putting it back at Florida doctor’s office
Ward reportedly posted a defense to Facebook before deleting her profile, saying the incident was not part of a “licking challenge” in which people lick things and returning them to shelves, posting video evidence of it on social media, according to KWES.
Ward’s post continued, saying the video was supposed to be sent only to a few close friends on Snapchat; according to KWES, one of those friends posted the video online.
The medical center released a statement saying it had removed all materials from the room in the video and sanitized the entire facility.
