Arby’s Manager Accused of Spitting in Mom’s Roast Beef Sandwich Before She Later Tested Positive for Herpes, Police and Family Say

A late-night stop at an Arby’s drive-thru in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, has become the center of a disturbing criminal case and civil lawsuit after a customer alleged that a former restaurant manager spat into her food and that she later tested positive for HSV-1, commonly known as oral herpes.

The case involves Jennica Church, a McCurtain County woman and mother, and Amanda Hendricks, a former Arby’s manager who has been accused in court filings and police reports of contaminating food during a March 28 drive-thru order. Police say surveillance video reviewed during the investigation appeared to show Hendricks lowering her head toward sandwich meat while preparing the order, with saliva allegedly falling into the food.

Hendricks has been charged with felony poisoning with intent to injure, according to multiple reports citing court and police records. The charge is an allegation. No conviction has been reported, and the case remains subject to the criminal court process.

For Church and her family, the allegation is not simply about a fast-food order gone wrong. According to the lawsuit, Church says she ate one of the sandwiches shortly after leaving the restaurant, took the rest home, and shared the food with relatives. The family claims the incident triggered fear, anxiety, medical concerns, and emotional distress after Church later developed symptoms and tested positive for HSV-1.

What Police Say Happened Inside the Arby’s Kitchen

According to reports citing the police affidavit, the investigation began after another Arby’s employee reported that a worker had allegedly spat into a customer’s meal. That report led Broken Bow police to seek and review surveillance footage from the restaurant.

Police reportedly said the footage showed Hendricks handling sandwich meat while working near the slicer. As she prepared the order, investigators say she lowered her head toward the food, and saliva allegedly fell from her mouth into the sandwich components.

The order was allegedly prepared for the Church during a late-night drive-thru visit. Church has said she had stopped by the restaurant after work and ordered roast beef sandwiches. The timing mattered to her because the restaurant was close to closing, and she later recalled the wait felt unusually tense.

The case took a more serious turn because the lawsuit alleges that Hendricks had visible oral herpes lesions at the time and knew she had HSV-1. That claim is part of the civil complaint and has not been proven in court.

Customer Says She Later Developed Symptoms and Tested Positive for HSV-1

Church’s lawsuit alleges that after eating the food, she developed a lesion or cold sore on her lip and sought medical treatment. According to the civil filing described in local reports, she was later diagnosed with HSV-1 and received medication.

HSV-1 is commonly associated with oral herpes, often appearing as cold sores around the mouth. It is widespread and can be carried by people who do not always show symptoms. Public health authorities note that HSV-1 is usually transmitted through oral contact, including exposure to saliva or sores, and that the virus is treatable but not curable.

That medical reality is part of what makes the case emotionally powerful but legally complex. The lawsuit alleges a direct connection between the contaminated food and Church’s diagnosis. However, proving exactly when and how a person contracted HSV-1 can be difficult because the virus is common, may remain dormant, and can spread even when symptoms are not obvious.

For the family, though, the legal technicalities do not erase the fear they say followed the meal. Relatives reportedly worried that others who ate the sandwiches may have been exposed. Church’s mother-in-law has publicly described the emotional toll on the household, including fear of physical contact and concern for family members who shared the food.

Civil Lawsuit Names Arby’s and Affiliated Restaurant Groups

The civil lawsuit does not name only Hendricks. Reports say Church and her family also sued Arby’s of Broken Bow, RB ARK Restaurants, LLC, and Flynn Restaurant Group, LP, alleging that the restaurant and affiliated entities bear responsibility for what happened inside the workplace.

The lawsuit reportedly claims that the restaurant allowed Hendricks to work despite an alleged active herpes outbreak with visible lesions. That allegation is central because the civil case is likely to examine workplace supervision, food safety procedures, employee conduct, and whether management should have known about any health risk.

In cases like this, the legal questions often move beyond the accused employee’s alleged act. Plaintiffs may argue that a company failed to train workers properly, failed to supervise staff, failed to enforce hygiene rules, or failed to protect customers from foreseeable harm.

The defendants have not been found liable based on the publicly available reporting. The lawsuit represents the family’s claims, not a final court finding.

Why the Felony Poisoning Charge Matters

The criminal charge reported in this case is felony poisoning with intent to injure, a serious accusation that suggests authorities believe the alleged food contamination was not accidental. Police reports described the alleged act as intentional contamination of a customer’s meal.

That does not mean guilt has been established. Prosecutors would still need to prove the criminal charge in court. The defense may challenge the interpretation of the video, the intent behind the alleged act, the medical connection between the food and the diagnosis, or other elements of the case.

Still, the charge sharply raises the stakes. This is not being treated as a routine workplace discipline issue or a basic food-handling violation. Authorities have described it as a criminal matter involving alleged bodily harm through contaminated food.

For customers, that detail is what makes the story so unsettling. Fast-food drive-thru service depends almost entirely on trust. Customers do not watch every step of preparation. They do not inspect every sandwich under bright lights before taking a bite. They rely on restaurants to enforce basic safety and dignity behind the counter.

The Food Safety Issue Behind the Viral Headline

The headline is shocking, but the deeper issue is trust in food safety. A restaurant worker accused of spitting into food violates one of the clearest lines in public service: customers must be able to believe that the food handed through a drive-thru window has not been deliberately contaminated.

Food safety systems usually focus on temperature control, sanitation, handwashing, storage, cross-contamination, and illness reporting. This case adds a more disturbing question: what happens when the alleged threat is not negligence, but intentional misconduct?

If the allegations are proven, the case could serve as a warning to restaurant operators about the need for stronger internal reporting channels, better surveillance review, clearer illness policies, and swift action when employees raise concerns. The investigation reportedly began because another employee spoke up. That detail matters because it shows how much customer safety can depend on workers’ willingness to report what they see.

HSV-1, Saliva, and the Challenge of Proving Infection

HSV-1 is common, but that does not make the allegation less serious. Oral herpes can cause painful sores, recurring outbreaks, and emotional distress. Many people carry the virus without knowing it. Some never develop noticeable symptoms. Others experience repeated flare-ups.

Public health guidance states that herpes is treatable but has no cure. Antiviral medications can help manage outbreaks and reduce the risk of transmission, but they do not eliminate the virus from the body.

The lawsuit’s challenge will likely be proving causation. Church says she had no symptoms before the incident and later tested positive after eating the allegedly contaminated food. The defense may argue that HSV-1 is too common to be traced to a single sandwich with certainty. The plaintiffs may point to the alleged video evidence, the reported visible lesions, the timing of symptoms, and medical records.

That is why the wording matters. Police say the food was contaminated. The family alleges Church contracted HSV-1 from the meal. The lawsuit says Hendricks knew she had an active outbreak. Those claims are serious, but they remain claims until proven in court.

A Small Oklahoma Town, a National Fast-Food Brand, and a Story That Spread Fast

Broken Bow is not a giant city where a story can disappear into the noise. It is a small community, and reports suggest word of the allegation traveled quickly. The church has said that local talk about the incident eventually reached her family. That small-town element gives the story a sharper edge because the people involved were not faceless strangers in a massive market.

At the same time, Arby’s is a national brand. That contrast is one reason the story has drawn national attention. A deeply local allegation has become a broader consumer-trust story because it involves a familiar fast-food name, a drive-thru meal, a police investigation, a felony charge, and a lawsuit alleging lasting health consequences.

For many readers, the fear is immediate and personal. Almost everyone has eaten food prepared out of sight. Almost everyone has trusted a tired employee near closing time. Almost everyone understands how one alleged incident in a kitchen can shatter confidence far beyond a single restaurant.

What We Know Now

We know that a former Arby’s manager in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, has been charged after police investigated a report that a customer’s food was allegedly spat into during a March 28 drive-thru visit.

We know that court filings described by local outlets say Church later developed symptoms and tested positive for HSV-1.

We know that Church and her family filed a civil lawsuit against Hendricks, Arby’s of Broken Bow, and affiliated restaurant entities.

We know that the lawsuit alleges Hendricks had an active oral herpes outbreak at the time and knowingly contaminated the food.

We also know that the legal process is not finished. The criminal charge is an accusation, the civil claims have not been proven, and the question of whether the alleged contamination caused Church’s HSV-1 diagnosis may become one of the most contested issues in the case.

Why This Case Is Bigger Than One Sandwich

The reason this story has struck such a nerve is not only the graphic nature of the allegation. It is the betrayal at its center.

A drive-thru window is a small exchange built on silent trust. A customer pays. A worker prepares the food. A bag is passed through the window. The customer drives away believing the meal is safe.

In this case, that ordinary ritual has become the subject of a felony charge and a lawsuit alleging lifelong health consequences. Whether the courts ultimately prove every claim or reject parts of the case, the allegation alone has already raised hard questions about restaurant accountability, employee conduct, and the invisible trust customers place in food workers every day.

For Church and her family, the case is personal. For Arby’s and its affiliated operators, it is a legal and reputational test. For the public, it is a chilling reminder that food safety is not just about clean counters and proper temperatures. It is about the basic expectation that no one entrusted with preparing food will deliberately violate the customer on the other side of the counter.