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A former Arby’s manager in Oklahoma has been arrested after she allegedly infected a customer and her family with oral herpes when she “intentionally” spit in their food.
Jennica Church claimed that she went through the drive-thru line at an Arby’s in Broken Bow in late March after she worked a long shift, according to a civil complaint obtained by People.
“It was taking a little bit of time,” Church told KJRH about the drive-thru process in an interview published on June 19. “I thought they were mad at me because it was about to close.”
Church knew Amanda Hendricks, who was the manager on duty at the time, and they had a history. However, the victim told the outlet that they had no major issues.
“Hendricks was responsible for preparing food orders,” the complaint stated. “Hendricks intentionally and deliberately spit on the meat or sandwich components while preparing Plaintiff Jennica Church’s order.”
The lawsuit continued, “At the time Defendant Hendricks spit on the food, she knew she had Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1), commonly known as oral herpes.”
The lawsuit went on to claim that Hendricks, 38, “had an active herpes outbreak with visible lesions” at the time of the incident, and she was allegedly aware that the virus could be transmitted through her saliva.
Church said that after she received her order, she took the food home to her husband’s father, grandmother, her husband and their kids. The complaint noted that the grandmother “was on hospice care and in a vulnerable medical condition.”
Soon after the family members ate the food, Church noticed flare-ups on her mouth. She eventually went to see a doctor about the findings and tested positive for HSV-1.
Church noted in the complaint that she likely got herpes from Hendricks because they live in a small town and Hendricks had allegedly been bragging to others about spitting in the food.
Additionally, surveillance video from the fast food restaurant captured Hendricks “preparing food, spitting on meat or sandwich components, and placing the contaminated food on the sandwiches.”
Church later contacted Arby’s employees about the claims, and they allegedly attempted to cover up the truth about the footage and tried to get the victims to accept “free sandwiches as compensation for the incident.”
The lawsuit noted that the grandmother was offered “the insulting sum of five dollars ($5.00) as compensation for the contamination of food that resulted in a permanent, incurable viral infection.”
The family has been heavily impacted by the incident and “has suffered severe emotional distress and anxiety as a result.”
“I see what it’s doing to my grandchildren, my son, my husband,” the grandmother told KJRH. “I don’t want to kiss my husband. He ate the food! Because he hasn’t had an outbreak, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it.”
Will Blocker, the family’s attorney, also condemned the staff who were working at the time of the incident for remaining silent.
“They let it go all the way out the door and my client now has a communicable disease,” he told the outlet. “That has to be a culture deeper than Arby’s in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Maybe it’s Flynn Restaurant Group and all 300 stores they own. I don’t know, but we are going to find out.”
The Church family is asking for compensatory damages in the lawsuit, including but not limited to medical expenses and physical pain and suffering.
Hendricks has since been arrested and charged with felony poisoning of food with intent to injure, according to an affidavit viewed by KJRH.
It is not currently clear if Hendricks has entered a plea or retained legal counsel.
A spokesperson for Arby’s did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
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