Charles Smith, the 27-year-old social media persona notorious for his prankster content, has found himself in a dire legal situation after a recent stunt at a Walmart in Mesa, Arizona. Smith, who documented himself spraying pesticide on grocery items and has a considerable following on TikTok, was met with a stringent response from the judicial system.
After voluntarily turning himself in on December 21st, Smith was slapped with an increased bond of $10,000 and a ban from all social media platforms, as per court orders reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. The charges against him include a felony for introducing poison. Alongside misdemeanors for criminal damage, endangerment, and theft. Notably, during a court hearing on Monday night, Smith requested to be released to attend to his dog, a plea that the judge denied.
The now-deleted video captured Smith, wearing a black hoodie and pink bandana, as he applied the toxin to bananas, acorn squash, potatoes, lemons, green apples, and Roma tomatoes. "This incident underscores the potential dangers of reckless actions disguised as social media pranks," the Mesa Police Department expressed in a statement, as per the New York Post.
While it's not confirmed whether consumers were harmed by this event, Walmart representatives informed The New York Post that employees promptly removed and disposed of the affected products, proceeding with a thorough cleaning of the compromised area. Smith is scheduled to make his next court appearance on December 30, as the consequences of his prank continue to unfold.
