Doorbell cam captures Kentucky DoorDash driver pepper-spraying food
A DoorDash delivery that left two customers sick has resulted in felony charges against a Kentucky woman who allegedly sprayed their food with pepper spray.
"I'm Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity.
Are you new here? Sign up for the free weekly newsletter or subscribe to support our mission and access behind-the-scenes content, podcasts, and in-depth stories reserved for paid subscribers.
Did a DoorDash driver pepper-spray a customer's food? She told police no, that she was targeting a spider. But investigators find that story to be unlikely.
The McCracken County Sheriff's Office arrested Kourtney Stevenson last week, after finding evidence she tampered with the food. She now faces multiple felony charges, including battery and consumer product tampering, stemming from a December 7th incident in Indiana.
Here's what happened: Just after midnight, a couple in Evansville, Indiana ordered food through DoorDash. After eating, both experienced burning sensations in their mouths, noses, throats and stomachs. They started vomiting. Concerned that something was wrong, they checked their doorbell camera footage.
The video showed their DoorDash driver placing the food just out of the camera's view, snapping the required delivery photo, then pulling out a small aerosol can attached to her keychain and spraying something in the direction of their order before leaving, according to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office subpoenaed records from DoorDash, which identified Stevenson as the driver. When investigators contacted her, she initially agreed to an in-person interview and offered an unusual explanation: she said she'd been visiting her father in Evansville and was working DoorDash deliveries during her stay. She claimed she used pepper spray not on the food, but to kill a spider she saw during the delivery, explaining she's terrified of spiders.
There's one problem with that story. The overnight temperature that night was 35 degrees- cold enough that outdoor spiders in Indiana wouldn't be active or capable of crawling on exposed surfaces, according to investigators.
Stevenson later called back and said she wouldn't be coming in for the scheduled interview after all. Detectives moved forward with an arrest warrant charging her with multiple felonies.
She was arrested in McCracken County, Kentucky, near Paducah.
Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson emphasized the seriousness of the case, saying, "Residents should be able to trust that the food they order for their families is safe. When someone violates that trust and endangers others, we will respond with urgency, and we will pursue charges."
Like what you see? Learn more about Shay Informed here! This is honest journalism with compassion and clarity.