Felony charges for mom who recorded daughter licking tongue depressor at medical center
A Jacksonville, Florida woman was arrested Thursday and charged with a felony after recording a video of her daughter licking a tongue depressor and replacing it in a container at the All About Kids and Families Medical Center, according to local news sources. She is being held without bail.
Cori E. Ward, 30, was charged with "tampering a consumer product without regard for possible death or bodily injury," according to Jacksonville prison records. The crime is a felony in the state of Florida.
The video, posted on Ward's private Snapchat account and later circulated on Facebook according to WJAX-TV, shows her daughter licking the depressor and placing it back into a storage canister. A sign shown in the video reads: "Please don't touch medical supplies! Thank you!"
The video is captioned: "Don't tell me how to live my life."
Ward apologized to WJAX-TV, saying that she discarded the used depressor after the recording and that she was unaware of the "licking" social media craze. She said she has received death threats for the video.
“I mean honestly, I wasn’t thinking," she said to WJAX-TV.
The medical center confirmed with WTLV-TV that Ward's daughter was their patient.
“We immediately removed all materials and container from the specific exam room and re-sanitized our entire facility," wrote the center to WTLV-TV. "Our internal investigation does not reveal any resulting risks or harm to patients from this action.”
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Ward is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter @joshua_bote.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida girl licks tongue depressor at doctor's office, mom arrested
