MESA, Arizona. – Mesa police arrested 27-year-old Charles Smith in a bizarre incident in which the man was seen spraying grocery items with chemicals at a Walmart.

For his actions he is accused of poisoning, criminal damage, endangerment and theft.

What we know

Smith told police he earned up to $10,000 a month by being a “troll” on social media.

That money can now be spent on legal fees and his $25,350 bail.

Residents are outraged and Walmart shoppers in Mesa reacted when they heard about the man accused of spraying bug spray on groceries sold to customers.

“People eat the stuff,” said shopper Chris Edwards. “Whether you’re pranking or not, at that point you’re just messing with the community.”

Smith posted the video to his TikTok and Instagram accounts.

In the video, he walks through the store with a can of insect spray and sprays fruits and vegetables with it.

Smith posted two update videos claiming he had thrown away the contaminated food, but he is only seen collecting some of the fruit and vegetables in a cart.

Then it rolls onto a Walmart trailer parked behind the store.

He has now deleted all three videos.

Mesa police determined that the time between Smith spraying the products and putting them back in a shopping cart was enough time for shoppers to unknowingly pick up contaminated products.

Walmart said in a statement that the contaminated products had been removed.

“A lot of people will do anything to get attention, and doing something like that to endanger other people is pretty low,” said another shopper, Richard Hansen.

Overall view

Grocery-related prank trends at Walmart aren’t new.

In 2019, a woman was charged with criminal breach of trust after a video was released showing her licking the top of a carton of Blue Bell ice cream and putting it back in the store’s freezer.

Days later, this woman became known as “Blue Bell Licker.”

A copycat in Louisiana attempted the same prank and was also charged with criminal breach of trust.

That same week, a woman uses a bottle of Listerine and then puts it back on the shelf.

Smith is the latest villain in this trend, but this week’s pesticide prank is far from his first.

A video from his TikTok page appears to show him putting a sub sandwich in the air fryer at a Whataburger restaurant.

Another video shows Smith masking up a business employee and then spraying him with a fire extinguisher while closing the door behind him as smoke billows out.

Local perspective

According to court records, Tempe police have an ongoing case against him.

Smith turned himself in to Mesa police on Dec. 21, becoming the latest in a line of internet trolls facing the consequences of crimes caught on camera.

“Anytime they post something, especially derogatory things or try to influence you one way or another, I think it’s just about getting attention,” Hansen said.

Smith faces four charges in the case: three misdemeanors and one felony count of introducing poison.

The incident occurred Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Walmart at Stapley Drive and Baseline Road.

Tempe police assisted in the investigation.

Map of the location where the incident occurred

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