Shop owner in Ariana Grande doughnut-licking video won’t pursue charges

The owner of a doughnut shop where Ariana Grande was seen on video licking the fried confections has decided not to pursue charges against the pop star, authorities said.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced the owner’s decision Monday, adding the incident will be handled by health investigators. The Wolfee Donuts owner filed a police report last week.

The Lake Elsinore doughnut shop became the subject of an investigation by the Riverside County Environmental Health Department after the owner released video showing the 22-year-old singer and a friend licking doughnuts on trays left on display.

The doughnut shop’s food rating was downgraded from an A to a B after the video surfaced. At the time, health investigators said they planned to look into the doughnut shop’s food handling practices because the trays of doughnuts shouldn’t have been left out in the open.

The doughnut shop may have mishandled the doughnuts, but Grande’s actions and comments in the video became controversial.

The July 4 surveillance footage not only shows Grande and her friend licking the doughnuts, but she says, “I hate Americans. I hate America.”

Grande’s comment drew backlash, spurring her to issue two apologies–on Twitter and in a four-minute YouTube video.

“Here I am apologizing to you all … because seeing a video of yourself behaving poorly, that you have no idea was taken, is such a rude awakening, that you don’t know what to do,” she said in the video. “I was so disgusted with myself.”

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