With social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok soaring in popularity, people are willing to do anything to get their 14 seconds of fame.
YouTube has already shown us how far creators are willing to go for views. From Jake Paul to the Ace Family and Vlog Squad, the younger generation of social media influencers isn’t scared to take risks in order to get attention, even if it means breaking the law sometimes.
Take one particular fame chaser from Texas who went viral for going around supermarkets to raid the freezer section for a very unexpected item.
We all love ice cream but not as much as D’Adrien L’Quinn Anderson, who was caught licking tubs of ice cream and putting them back in the freezer only to have the contaminated containers picked up by innocent shoppers who had no idea what had happened to their poor ice cream.
The man first filmed himself in the act back in the summer of 2019, but it took some time for the authorities to catch up with him. The ice cream licking challenge was quite the trend back in the day, one that became problematic for many supermarkets and enraged customers.
While many creators were able to get away with the stunt without any repercussions, D’Adrien wasn’t so lucky. The man was eventually caught and punished for his actions in order to set an example for anyone else who dared to pull the stunt again.
Besides having to pay a hefty fine of $1,000, D’Adrien was also awarded jail time and community service. That coupled with a permanent stamp on his criminal record is quite the hefty price for his 14 seconds of fame.
The authorities have put out a warning for all the ice cream lickers who, if caught, could have to pay up to $2,000 in restitution and spend a solid month in prison.
Besides the penalty, D’Adrien was also ordered to pay $1,565 in damages to the affected ice cream company, Blue Bell. The video wasn’t the first time D’Adrien was seen licking the ice cream tubs.
The juvenile had first done it a month prior as well, uploading the clip to social media and getting millions of views on it. D’Adrien pleaded with the authorities to forgive him, even saying that his stunt was only meant for views but his plea was denied.
The District Attorney said that if he didn’t punish the young man, more copycats would crop up, leading to a bigger problem over time.
