Pendleton Pike Walmart clears reinspection after rodent issue

A customer tip promoted an investigation which revealed rodent droppings and torn packaging in areas of the Walmart that sold food.

INDIANAPOLIS — The food license of a Walmart in Lawrence is fully restored, after a health inspection Wednesday cleared previous rodent activity issues in multiple areas of the store. 

The store's deli and bakery were the last sections to reopen. 

An inspection of the store at 10735 Pendleton Pike on March 22 was conducted after a customer complaint made to the Marion County Public Health Department. Investigators later found evidence of significant rodent activity – rodent droppings and torn packaging – across the Walmart. 

Those areas included the grocery section, pet food and receiving area. A violation was issued, and MCPHD suspended the store's food license

Friday afternoon, the health department announced the store's food license remained suspended after a reinspection. 

"Inspectors with Food and Consumer Safety at the Marion County Public Health Department determined that more progress is needed to reinstate the store’s food license. MCPHD will continue to monitor progress toward achieving compliance of violations, and a recheck by the health department is expected to happen next week," MCPHD wrote in a statement to 13News.

13News checked inspection reports for the store and found this was the third complaint in the past five months of mice in the store, which resulted in critical violations. 

#13News checked the @Marion_Health inspection reports on this #Walmart for the past few years. This is the 3rd complaint in the last 5 months of mice in the store resulting in critical violations. The latest Wednesday led to food license suspension and $500 fine. 5 pm @WTHRcom

— Rich Nye (@RichNye13) March 24, 2023

The store received a $500 fine because of the violations. The health department plans to do a recheck on Friday. Its food license will not be reinstated until evidence of the rodents are gone.

Walmart released the following statement to 13News after the initial suspension:

“The cleanliness and safety of our stores is a top priority. We have conducted a thorough third-party inspection to address the matter. We want to assure our customers that we will continue to prioritize their health in our stores and are working to immediately resolve this.”