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submitted 1 week ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Kourtney Stevenson was allegedly caught on camera spraying meal with chemical that later sickened customers

A driver for the popular food delivery platform DoorDash has been arrested after allegations that she showered an order with pepper spray in plain view of a doorbell camera, sickening a customer and his wife, according to authorities in Indiana.

Kourtney Stevenson faces counts of felony battery and consumer product tampering, the Vanderburgh county sheriff’s office said in a statement on Friday, addressing a case that is bound to be of significant interest to DoorDash’s 42 million or so users.

Stevenson, 29, allegedly told investigators that she used the pepper spray in question to try to kill a spider that had frightened her, but they did not believe her, saying it was too cold at the time of the delivery for that kind of creature to be out.

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[-] yeahiknow3@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 1 week ago

Don’t tamper with food, it’s a serious felony. Unless you’re a multinational corporation poisoning everyone including children. That’s acceptable.

[-] criss_cross@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Door dashers don’t have the funds and corporate connections to legally sicken and kill people.

[-] magnetosphere@fedia.io 12 points 1 week ago

Stevenson initially agreed to meet with the sheriff’s office, though the agency later said she backed out. Detectives subsequently obtained a warrant to arrest her.

This makes me laugh. She agreed to meet with the sheriff, then realized how badly she had fucked herself. Surprisingly, the problem didn’t magically disappear.

[-] Psythik@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

This is why you never talk to the police. Don't ever volunteer information. If they call/text you, ignore it. Make them spend the resources hunting you down. If they bring you in for questioning, the only words coming out of your mouth should be, "I would like to to speak with an attorney, please". More often than not they won't even bother obtaining a warrant for minor shit like this, but only if you don't make it easy for them.

[-] SSUPII@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

Food tampering is minor now

[-] Psythik@lemmy.world -1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Read my other comment in this comment section. I really don't think that's what was going on here. Cause why would she fuck with their food right in front of a camera? Something else is going on beyond the narrative the police are spinning.

And even if the police are right, food tampering is in fact a minor crime compared to say, murder. The police only have so many resources. They have to prioritize what's worth pursuing and what is minor enough to let go.

[-] yesman@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

don't put shit in people's food. It's a serious felony as it should be.

In my town a waiter put eyedrops into a rude customers drink. He went to the hospital and she went to prison.

[-] naeap@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago

What kind of eye drops can that be, that are okay for the eyes but poison you, when swallowed? Oo

Somehow my understanding was, that the eyes are much more sensitive to stuff like that

[-] Zorcron@piefed.zip 4 points 1 week ago

It can happen. Systemic absorption as opposed to only local effects of eye drops can have a big impact, and if you’re trying to poison someone, you’re probably putting in most of a bottle of eye drops (5-15ml) instead of the few drops you would put in your eye, so potentially a ~100x higher dose.

Just thinking briefly about it, I think the more dangerous eye drops would cause lower blood pressure if taken orally or potential kidney problems depending on the drug.

It would probably have to be a high dose to seriously affect a healthy young person, but an older person or someone with underlying health issues or other interacting medications could more easily be affected.

[-] foenix@lemmy.radio 4 points 1 week ago

Nope, certain eye drops can cause renal/kidney failure. Your eyes are definitely sensitive to other kinds of chemicals, but the eyes and stomach can be considered to be different bio mechanical factories

[-] otp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

They're sensitive to different things

[-] Phegan@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

I am not saying she isn't a shitty human, but when a poor person puts shit in people's food...jail.

When a corporation does. Stock buy backs.

We should hold everyone accountable for poisoning people.

[-] zeppo@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

The “it’s too cold” logic doesn’t really hold up. A spider could be in a warmer place like indoors or her car and then have gotten in the bag. Of course, her claims don’t make much sense, either. She could have just fled. Of course, I’m no psychological expert regarding phobia driven behavior. Anyway, if she did want to harm the customers for some reason, that’s wild that she sprayed it on the porch and not just on the street or in her car. I suppose maybe if she did t want to get pepper spray inside her vehicle.

[-] velindora@lemmy.cafe 7 points 1 week ago

Anyone who thinks pepper spray is what you use on spiders should be locked up.

[-] PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk 5 points 1 week ago

Absolutely.

You need a lighter in front of the nozzle first. This isn't amateur hour.

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 4 points 1 week ago

Please don't harm spiders.

[-] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago

How many legs are you typing this with right now?

[-] ninjabard@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

The normal amount. I want to say, five?

[-] PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk 2 points 1 week ago

Nah I jest. Spidey bois are our friends, they're unsung heroes of the pest-killing world.

I'm still not a fan though.

[-] davad@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Sounds like, whatever her reason, she did it on an impulse.

[-] LesserAbe@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Best detail I think is that they door dashed Arby's.

[-] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

It's not even very good fresh I can't imagine how bad it would be delivered.

[-] sheridan@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Did she open up the packaging and spray directly on the food? Article doesn't say that. Usually food delivery comes in a bag that's stapled or taped shut, and the items in the bag are in their own closed containers, except maybe for fries. I'm just not clear on how the spray could have gotten onto the food.

[-] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I'm guessing indirect contact. Spray on bag, touch bag, take out food, eat finger food, potentially lick fingers, too.

[-] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Then lick the back clean too of course

[-] FlyingSpaceCow@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago
[-] Psythik@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I believe her, because why the fuck would you do this in front of their home with a camera, instead of driving to a secluded place and tampering with it there? I'm not buying the "too cold for spiders to be out" excuse from the homeowners, either.

Something's not adding up, here. Why would she tamper with it to begin with? Was the customer being a Karen to the driver or something? I need more context.

[-] LesserAbe@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Well which is it, that she tried to pepper spray a winter spider, or that the victim had it coming?

[-] TassieTosser@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago

Maybe they didn't tip. You yanks get unhinged over tipping.

[-] FlyingSpaceCow@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

It's frankly criminal that tips are a mandatory component of food service in Canada/US.

You're expected to tip a base amount regardless of service quality -- as that's how the pay/hours are structured.(If you don't tip then you're effectively stealing from the worker)

The assholes who don't tip (or under tip) get basically no punishment and are financially rewarded for their shitty behaviour.

All while some servers/bartenders get laughably overpaid. (At least from my perspective as someone who worked many 12 hour shifts as a line cook way back when).

(None of this is to say that tampering with someone's food is ever okay)

[-] Psythik@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I dunno about that. When I delivered food for an app, you didn't get tipped until after the food was delivered.

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Wait, what was the order? If it was capsaicin spray, maybe they were just trying to comply with direction to make it extra spicy? /s

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io -2 points 1 week ago

My first question: Has Stevenson made deliveries to this address before, and what was that experience like? Is this an ongoing relationship with these customers? Or is this just a random act of criminality, in front of a camera? I guess I have a lot of questions.

Edit: Don't they like chili / spicy in Indiana?

[-] OccamsRazer@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Does it matter? Under what circumstances would these actions be justified?

[-] MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com 3 points 1 week ago

Not the person you're responding to, but I had the same questions. They didn't come to mind as looking for a justification, only that it could possibly give some additional context. If she delivered there before and they had gotten into a verbal altercation for example, it would shed even more doubt on any excuse she might make. I'm not saying there's no way she did that for no reason or for her cited reason, but it's possible that a motive for doing that might be clear if we had that additional information.

[-] frongt@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 week ago

If the food stood up and attacked her. But it doesn't appear to have been the case.

[-] baines@lemmy.cafe -3 points 1 week ago

you ever work customer service?

not messing with people’s food but i can think of multiple shit customers deserving a good pepper spraying

this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2025
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