Parents are too LAZY to teach their kids right from wrong, they might have to sacrifice social media time to parent a child)
Teens reportedly coughed near grocery store produce for video, Virginia police say
Employees from
the Harris Teeter immediately threw out hundreds of dollars worth of
produce and notified police, according to Lieutenant Barry A. Dufek of
the Purcellville Police Department. Police notified the public of the
incident last week and identified the juveniles involved using CCTV
footage, notified their parents, and interviewed them.
The teens admitted to getting close to other patrons and coughing into their own sleeves, while filming on their phones, according to police.
"It appears they were trying to do it as a practical joke and a prank," said Dufek.
Officers reviewed the footage and found no actual customers or produce were spit or coughed on directly. Police determined there was no criminal intent and the identities and the video footage of the teens was not released because of their age.
Dufek said police contacted the Commonwealth Attorney but decided not to pursue charges and to instead focus on educating the teens and their parents about the severity of the situation.
Virginia's schools are closed and there are currently 219 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in the state, according to the state’s department of health. The department said children and teenagers have more idle time because of the school closures and asked parents to explain why this kind of behavior is wrong.
"We still ask that parents continue to monitor their children’s activities, including social media viewing and posting, and to discourage the promotion of any such fear-inducing behavior," according to a Facebook post from the department.
Dufek said this is the first incident of its kind in Purcellville, but the police department called the video part of "a disturbing trend on social media across the country." The incident bears similarities to a video that emerged last year of a woman licking a tub of Blue Bell ice cream and putting it back on the shelf. That video was viewed more than 13 million times, several copycat videos were posted and multiple people were arrested.
Viral Blue Bell saga continues: Ice cream licker who appeared in viral video sentenced to jail
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teens in video coughing near produce at grocery store: Virginia police
The teens admitted to getting close to other patrons and coughing into their own sleeves, while filming on their phones, according to police.
"It appears they were trying to do it as a practical joke and a prank," said Dufek.
Officers reviewed the footage and found no actual customers or produce were spit or coughed on directly. Police determined there was no criminal intent and the identities and the video footage of the teens was not released because of their age.
Dufek said police contacted the Commonwealth Attorney but decided not to pursue charges and to instead focus on educating the teens and their parents about the severity of the situation.
Virginia's schools are closed and there are currently 219 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in the state, according to the state’s department of health. The department said children and teenagers have more idle time because of the school closures and asked parents to explain why this kind of behavior is wrong.
"We still ask that parents continue to monitor their children’s activities, including social media viewing and posting, and to discourage the promotion of any such fear-inducing behavior," according to a Facebook post from the department.
Dufek said this is the first incident of its kind in Purcellville, but the police department called the video part of "a disturbing trend on social media across the country." The incident bears similarities to a video that emerged last year of a woman licking a tub of Blue Bell ice cream and putting it back on the shelf. That video was viewed more than 13 million times, several copycat videos were posted and multiple people were arrested.
Viral Blue Bell saga continues: Ice cream licker who appeared in viral video sentenced to jail
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teens in video coughing near produce at grocery store: Virginia police
