Florida mother arrested after filming viral video of daughter licking tongue depressor, putting it back at doctor’s office

A Florida mother was arrested Thursday after filming a now-viral video of her daughter licking a tongue depressor before putting it back at a medical center.

Cori Ward, 30, was arrested and charged with tampering with a consumer product without regard for possible death or bodily injuries, News4JAX reported, citing jail records.

Ward said she recorded the video in an exam room at the All About Kids and Families Medical Center in Jacksonville before posting it to Snapchat, the outlet reports.{mosads}

In the video, which has since been reposted to Facebook, a hand reaches into the jar of wooden tongue depressors before the girl reaches inside to take one. Then, she licks it and puts it back in the jar.

A sign posted above the jar reads “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH MEDICAL SUPPLIES! THANK YOU!”

The Snapchat video was captioned, “Don’t tell me how to live my life.”

“I wasn’t thinking,” Ward told Action News Jax, adding that she later “removed the items that were even surrounding” the contaminated tongue depressor.

The medical center condemned the incident and has since removed the materials that were in the exam room, News4Jax reported.

“This type of behavior is not tolerated at All About Kids and Families Medical Center,” it wrote in a statement. “Each year, we serve thousands of patients, and providing quality care and ensuring their safety is our top priority.”

The incident is the latest in a string of viral videos featuring people licking various items. A video of an unidentified woman licking a tub of ice cream in a Texas Walmart and placing it back in the freezer gained national attention. She was arrested and could face a second-degree felony charge of tampering with a consumer product, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Her video has since inspired copycats in other states, including Louisiana, where a man was arrested for opening a tub of ice cream in a store, licking it and returning it to the shelf.