A TikTok creator has learned his fate after uploading a video where he sprayed pesticide on produce and meat at a Walmart in Mesa, Arizona.
Check out his original video below:
Charles Smith, who goes by Wolfie Kahletti online, was sentenced on June 24 to one year in prison for one count of adding poison or another harmful substance, with jail credit for 136 days served, according to court documents, AZ Central reports.
Smith also received three years' probation for criminal damage and solicitation to commit burglary, to run concurrently.
Incident Filmed and Uploaded Before Being Deleted
The conviction followed Smith’s April 22 guilty plea for the incident that took place on December 19, when the then-27-year-old filmed himself spraying pesticide on food at the Walmart located at Stapley and Baseline roads in Mesa before posting the video on TikTok and Instagram.
Smith entered the store around 8:30PM, grabbed a can of Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug and Flea Killer off the shelf, and sprayed it on a large number of yams, lemons, other produce, and rotisserie chicken, according to charging documents.
Court documents state: “The defendant then returned about 10 minutes after he sprayed the items and attempted to collect the items he had sprayed, placed them in a shopping cart, and wheeled them back to the rear of the store, to try and prevent people from taking the contaminated items.”
In two follow-up videos, Smith claimed he discarded the contaminated food. Speaking to the Arizona Republic shortly after the incident, Smith said the food was “thrown away right after,” and “no one was poisoned.”
Walmart Cleared Contaminated Items
Walmart removed remaining items worth $931, according to court documents. In a statement to People magazine, Walmart said: “The health and safety of our customers and associates is always a top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers as we work to resolve this issue.
“We will continue to work closely with law enforcement during their investigation.”
Mesa police, with assistance from Tempe police, identified Smith as the suspect after an investigation. He was contacted and turned himself in voluntarily, later admitting to the theft and spraying of pesticide during an interview.
“Once he left, he began to see comments online saying how horrible the act was, and he decided to return and collect the items,” the Mesa Police Department noted in its statement.
“This incident underscores the potential dangers of reckless actions disguised as social media pranks,” the Mesa Police Department added.
Smith's History of Pranks and Social Media Earnings
Court documents reveal that Smith stated he carries out these types of pranks as a “troll” for social media. It continued: “The defendant admitted he can earn between 6 to 10 thousand dollars a month for doing acts like these and posting them on social media.”
Smith has amassed over 345,000 followers on TikTok, where his pranks have included locking customers inside a 7-Eleven store by wrapping the handles with a bungee cord, filling a stranger’s dryer with raw bacon and eggs, and submerging a pumpkin in the fryer of a fast-food restaurant’s kitchen.
Despite the viewership, many commenters expressed disapproval, with remarks such as “This one is too far” and “Bro, this is wrong.”
The Time Gap and Potential Risk to Shoppers
Court documents emphasized: “The time between when the defendant sprayed the items to when he placed them into the cart left plenty of time for customers to take the contaminated items and purchase them.”
Smith pleaded guilty to adding poison to food, criminal damage, and solicitation to commit burglary, which led to his sentencing.
Mesa police stated that Smith admitted to the theft and the pesticide spraying following the investigation.