The Lufkin Police Department identified the "Blue Bell licker" as a juvenile from San Antonio in a Facebook post on Friday.
Under Texas law, anyone under the age of 17 is considered a juvenile. Because she is a juvenile offender, her identity is protected under the Texas Family Code.
Lufkin police said they do not intend to charge the girl as an adult, and therefore cannot speak to what charges she will face from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
Blue Bell released a statement on Wednesday saying the company had determined that the viral video on social media showing Blue Bell ice cream being tamperedwith had been traced to a Walmart in Lufkin. The investigation was turned over to the Lufkin Police Department.
Police say the girl in the video is tied to the Lufkin area through her boyfriend's family. Her boyfriend is an adult, and police said both the boyfriend and the girl were forthcoming and admitted to the video.
Police are discussing the boyfriend's involvement with prosecutors, but charges have not been filed against him yet.
The video, posted last Friday, shows a woman licking the top of a carton of Tin Roof ice cream before returning it to the grocery store freezer shelf. On Monday, Blue Bell released an initial statement saying the company was working with law enforcement and retail partners to identify the store and suspect.
What kinda psychopathic behavior is this?! pic.twitter.com/T8AIdGpmuS
— Optimus Primal (@BlindDensetsu) June 29, 2019
Lufkin police said this investigation was difficult because of a "catfish" with a similar social media handle had been taking credit for the video. Police also said there were between four and six women with similar screen names and appearances that law enforcement had to eliminate before getting the actual suspect.
Blue Bell posted a statement on its website on Friday saying the company was grateful to law enforcement, retail partners and customers that helped with the investigation.
The full statement reads:
"We thank everyone for their assistance in this case including the San Antonio Police Department, Lufkin Police Department, Walmart and our customers who alerted us to this incident.
"Food safety is our top priority, and we work hard to provide a safe product and maintain the highest level of confidence from our consumers. We are always looking for ways to improve, including looking at methods within our manufacturing process to add additional protection to the carton.
"This case is now in the hands of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department to pursue however it deems appropriate."
