The DoorDash delivery driver accused of pepper-spraying a food order on a porch has provided an explanation for her actions.
In Indiana, a couple found themselves ‘choking and gasping’ after starting to eat their delivery. Mark Cardin, the husband, noticed their meal had been tampered with and was covered in ‘some kind of spray’.
Cardin consulted his doorbell footage, which captured a delivery driver with purple hair approaching their home. With dogs barking in the background, the driver placed the delivery and appeared to photograph it.
The driver then seemed to spray the package before leaving. Police have since arrested DoorDash driver Kourtney Stevenson in connection to the incident on December 7. She informed officers that she was aiming at a spider on the ground.
Stevenson, a resident of Kentucky, was apprehended by the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office. She faces charges of felony battery and consumer product tampering, as reported by local authorities.
On the day of her arrest, December 12, Indiana police stated that Stevenson claimed she used pepper spray not on the food, but on a spider she allegedly saw during the delivery.
She mentioned visiting her father in Evansville, Indiana, and decided to take a DoorDash request when the supposed spider incident occurred.
However, law enforcement dismissed her explanation of being afraid of spiders, stating: “She explained that she is terrified of spiders. The overnight low was 35°F.”
The Vanderburgh Sheriff’s Office said: “At that temperature, outdoor spiders in Indiana are not active and would not be capable of crawling on exposed surfaces.”
The office also noted that Stevenson had agreed to an interview with detectives but failed to appear, leading to a warrant for her arrest.
“Stevenson later called and said she was not going to come in for an interview as scheduled. Detectives prepared an arrest affidavit,” the police department stated.
“A warrant for Stevenson’s arrest was prepared and issued, charging Stevenson with two counts of Battery Resulting in Moderate Injury as Level 6 felonies and 2 counts of Consumer Product Tampering as Level 5 felonies.”
As of Friday, December 12, she was held in a Kentucky jail, awaiting transfer to Indiana.
DoorDash confirmed to NBC News that Stevenson was removed from their platform, stating: “We have absolutely zero tolerance for this type of appalling behavior.”
Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson emphasized that Indiana residents should trust that the food they order is safe for their families.
In his statement, he remarked: “This is embarrassing for them. But I mean they’re a huge company, they have to depend on a lot of folks to carry out their operations.
“It’s impossible to hire people, the breadth of people they have to hire into these jobs and know what’s in somebody’s heart. But the company seemed to take immediate action to get in front of it, so I would consider them cooperative, and certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from using their services in anyway.”