A Police Officer Claimed A McDonald’s Employee Bit His Sandwich. Now We Know The Truth.

After a nearly two-week long investigation, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office has determined who took a bite out of an officer’s chicken sandwich from McDonald’s.

It was the officer himself.

Why report such an obvious and dumb story? Let’s go back to the beginning.

It was mid-July when “DJ,” as he is referred to in WTHR’s report on his story, visited his local McDonald’s restaurant – a place he frequented. He ordered a McChicken sandwich, fries, and some cookies. When he returned to the sheriff’s office, he put his sandwich in the refrigerator in the break room for later. Seven hours later, he returned to retrieve his sandwich only to find that a bite had been taken out of it.

“I started to warm up my McChicken and I noticed several small bites. I know I didn't eat it. No one else was around. I said, 'You know what? I am going to the McDonald's to see if they can get that taken care of," he told WTHR. "I went to the McDonald's and talked to the supervisor. She offered me some free food I didn't care anything about. I just wanted to find out who the person was and they deal with that person in an appropriate way."

The restaurant was informed of DJ’s complaint. WTHR reported that managers said they would check to see who was working the food line at the time he ordered. A restaurant representative told the outlet that what occurred was an isolated incident, but they would figure out who did it.

The initial story was published on July 15. On July 26, WTHR updated the story with the results of the investigation. It turned out the Hamburgler was none other than DJ. From the Marion County Sheriff’s Office:

Last week, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office employee purchased a McChicken sandwich from the McDonald’s location at 3828 W Morris Street, Indianapolis. The employee took a bite out of the sandwich upon starting his shift at the Marion County Jail, then placed it in the refrigerator in a break room. He returned nearly seven hours later having forgotten that he had previously bitten the sandwich. He wrongly concluded that a McDonald’s restaurant employee had tampered with his food because he is a law enforcement officer.

Our partners at McDonald’s have been helpful and have assisted in the MCSO investigation into what transpired with our employee. The investigation has determined that McDonald’s restaurant staff in no way tampered with the employee’s food. He has since formally apologized to McDonald’s. We recognize that McDonald’s is a valued civic partner, and any insinuation in private or in the media to the contrary is unfounded.

Police have, at times, been the victims of discrimination and hate. Last week, video spread on social media of two New York Police Department officers getting mocked and doused with water. A few days later, surveillance video was released showing three teenagers assaulting a civilian employee of the Baltimore Police Department.

Cops are not immune from making false accusations, however. In 2016, a police officer accused a Subway restaurant employee of drugging his drink. The 18-year-old employee was arrested and his name was splattered across the media. Police tested the drink with an unreliable test and it allegedly tested positive for THC and methamphetamine. A more reliable test was conducted later and was “unable to confirm that the contaminates were in the officer’s drink,” according to a statement from the police department.