A jail receptionist said he was released Monday but did not know whether he was released on bond. Martin could not be reached for comment, and it was unclear if he has an attorney. The Assumption Parish sheriff's office did not return a request for comment.
Authorities think Martin's alleged crime was a copycat incident inspired by other videos, Cmdr. Lonny Cavalier, a sheriff's office spokesman, told CNN, after finding the video posted to Facebook.
Martin showed investigators a receipt for ice cream, Cavalier told CNN, to suggest that he paid for the contaminated ice cream.
"Taking into consideration that he eventually purchased the same container is one thing," Cavalier said.
"However," Cavalier added, "he puts it on Facebook to gain this notoriety and at the end of the day, it gives other people ideas that are not in the best interest of public health."
The video allegedly showing Martin was the third prominent case of someone intentionally tampering with Blue Bell ice cream and then posting a video to social media, prompting a cringe-inducing viral moment.
Lufkin police in East Texas identified a juvenile in the original video, the department said Friday, but declined to charge her with an adult crime and did not release her name because she is under 17. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department will handle the case, the department said.
Blue Bell identified the Walmart where the juvenile licked a half-gallon tub of Tin Roof ice cream in what they called a "malicious act of food tampering," spokeswoman Jenny Van Dorf said in a statement. The company thinks it found the compromised ice cream but removed all half-gallon Tin Roof products from the store, she said.
"We are always looking for ways to improve, including looking at methods within our manufacturing process to add additional protection to the carton," Van Dorf said.
She did not say whether the company had information about the alleged incident involving Martin.
In another incident, self-described model and actress Shelley Golden posted a video of her walking into a store and licking Blue Bell ice cream. She appeared to later delete the video from Instagram after intense scrutiny and millions of views.
In a July 4 tweet, Golden said she bought and took home the ice cream. "No one was harmed or affected when I made the video," Golden said. "The whole thing was staged." She did not return a request for comment.
Saliva can pose serious health risks. Clinicians warn that it may contain rhinovirus, the flu, hepatitis B and C and Type-1 herpes, among other viruses and bacteria, according to the Cleveland Clinic. An infectious disease specialist told the New York Times that the ice cream's low temperature and sugar content could potentially reduce the infectious risk in this particular instance.
In 2015, three deaths linked to a listeria outbreak in Blue Bell ice cream led to a full product recall.
