A DoorDash driver faces criminal charges after spraying customers’ food

A woman faces criminal charges in Evansville, Indiana, for spraying food with a substance that made customers vomit.

In a news release, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office said it was contacted on Dec. 7 by a man who said he and his wife vomited and experienced a burning sensation in the mouth, nose, throat and stomach after eating fast food ordered through DoorDash.

The man told NBC News that he noticed something red had been sprayed on the delivery bag, so he checked the footage from the doorbell camera. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the footage shows that after dropping the food and taking the photo, the woman appeared to spray a substance toward the food from a small spray can attached to her key chain.

Using DoorDash records, investigators identified the woman as Courtney Stevenson of Kentucky, who told local police in a phone call that she was working for DoorDash while visiting her father and that she used pepper spray to spray a spider, the Sheriff’s Department said. But the department also said that with nighttime temperatures dropping to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, “Indiana’s outdoor spiders are not as active and will not be able to crawl on exposed surfaces.”

When Stevenson refused to appear for an interview, investigators obtained a warrant for her arrest on charges of battery resulting in moderate injury and tampering with a consumer product. She is now awaiting extradition to Indiana.

A DoorDash spokesperson said in a statement that Stephenson has been banned from the platform.

“We have absolutely no tolerance for this kind of appalling behaviour,” the spokesman said. “Dasher’s access to the platform has been permanently removed, and our team is supporting law enforcement in their investigation.”

The New York Times and NBC News both reported that it was not clear whether Stevenson had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.