Okla. fast-food employee charged with felony poisoning after allegedly spitting in customer’s food, causing herpes
06/24/2026 1:23 pm PDT
Broken Bow, Okla. (TCN) -- An employee at an Arby’s restaurant has been charged with felony poisoning after she allegedly spit in a customer’s food, leading her to develop herpes.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Jennica Church went to the restaurant on March 28 and ordered a meal. KJRH reports Church was acquainted with the manager, Amanda Hendricks, 38.
Hendricks went home and shared the food with family members, KJRH reports. That night, her mouth “flared up,” per KJRH, which she said had never happened before. She was diagnosed with herpes soon after.
On April 1, Church went to the police station to report that an employee at Arby’s had spit in her food. Police served a search warrant on April 16 to obtain surveillance footage from the night of March 28. According to the probable cause affidavit, “Amanda has the meat in her hands and lifts it to neck level and leans her head down and you can see the saliva leave her mouth and go into the sandwich.”
KJRH reports Hendricks was charged with felony poisoning with intent to injure and a warrant was issued for her arrest. Church filed a lawsuit against Hendricks and Arby’s alleging that the incident caused her anxiety and fear; as a bartender, she is worried it will impact her work in the service industry.
KJRH reports Church said, “I love Arby’s — not anymore.”
The following day, police contacted the employee to conduct an interview and she agreed to come in on April 18. On that date, she said she was unable to meet because of lack of transportation. According to the affidavit, “While speaking with Amanda she made the utterance that [I] have the footage, and she was not going to waste my time yes, she did it.”
On June 21, Hendricks was arrested and booked into jail on the felony poisoning charge, per KXII.
The New York Post reports that though herpes is treatable, there is no cure. It is unclear whether the contaminated food was the source of the infection.
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