Police in Lufkin, Texas, released this image of a woman they say is the person who shot to notoriety after opening a tub of ice cream in a store, licking it and putting it back in the freezer (Pictures: Lufkin PD/Twitter)

Police have identified a woman who opened a tub of ice cream in a shop, licked it and put it back in the freezer – and warn she faces 20 years jail.

Detectives believe the incident, which happened last weekend and went viral earlier this week, took place at Walmart in Lufkin, Texas.

They have released a new surveillance camera still of a woman they believe to be the licker, and say she faces felony food tampering charges.

Police in Lufkin believe they know the woman’s name, but say they are waiting to verify the identification before arresting her.


Staff at the Walmart are believed to have tracked down the tub she tampered with before it could be sold to a member of the public.

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The disgusting clip saw the woman filmed opened the tub of Blue Bell Ice Cream by a friend who is filming her.



He remains off-camera, but can be heard saying: ‘Lick it! Lick it! Oh, you vile. Put it back.’

The woman does just that, before giving a smug laugh as she walks away.

But she is unlikely to see the funny side of harsh charges stipulating between two and 20 years jail time.

The woman faces a fine of up to $10,000, according to the Texas state penal code.

The incident is believed to have happened at this Walmart store in Lufkin, Texas. The licker faces up to 20 years in prison and $10,000 in fines (Picture: Google Maps)

And things could get even worse for her, with cops in discussion with the US Food and Drug Administration over whether to bring far more serious federal charges.

Blue Bell said it removed all half-gallon cartons of ice cream from the store as a precaution.

They say their freezing technique forms a seal between the top of the ice cream and the lid.

Blue Bell explained the condition of this lid should make it obvious whether or not a tub of ice cream has been tampered with.