Man accused of licking Walmart items in coronavirus prank charged with making terrorist threats
WARRENTON, Mo. – A Missouri man accused of tampering with merchandise at a local Walmart as part of a coronavirus prank video has been charged with making terrorist threats.
The video shows 26-year-old Cody Lee Pfister, of Warrenton, asking, “Who’s scared of coronavirus?” before licking several sticks of deodorant, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
According to court documents, the alleged incident happened on March 11.
Warrenton police posted the following statement on Facebook:
This particular video, which won’t be shared here, has gained some international attention and we have received numerous reports about the video from locals, nearby residents, as well as people from the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Court docs say Pfister “knowingly caused a false belief or fear that a condition involving danger to life existed,” and acted “with reckless disregard of the risk causing the evacuation, quarantine or closure of any portion” of the Walmart store.
Pfister has previous convictions for burglary, theft of a firearm, disorderly conduct and driving while intoxicated, according to the Post-Dispatch.