A sheriff in Georgia has drawn attention after involving other officers when his Burger King order was incorrect.
It’s fair to say that receiving the wrong food order can be quite frustrating, particularly if it’s a meal you’ve been eagerly awaiting for some time.
While it may be disappointing, it arguably doesn’t warrant a call to law enforcement, especially if you are a law enforcement officer yourself and understand the nature of emergencies.
This incident unfolded at a Burger King in Cobb County, Georgia, where Sheriff Craig Owens Sr. made a stop in March 2023 for a meal.
Body cam footage released recently reveals that sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the restaurant and appeared to use their sirens to expedite their arrival.
Upon their arrival, the footage captures the sheriff leaning out of his vehicle’s driver’s side window, requesting one of the deputies to do him ‘a favor.’
He stated: “I need to get- all I need is the owner’s name of whoever owns this damn facility, or the manager.”
Owens elaborated on his attempt to order a Whopper burger for his wife, specifying that he wanted it cut in half, with no mayo.
Upon checking the order, he claimed there was an error, and when he sought a replacement, he was allegedly refused.
The sheriff emphasized that he did not want a refund, but sought the owner’s name for filing ‘an official complaint.’ The reason Owens could not obtain the owner’s name while interacting with the staff remains unclear.
The deputies approached the establishment and discovered it had locked its doors amid the incident, with employees still inside.
Once the doors were unlocked, staff explained to deputies that they had previously encountered aggressive customers, prompting them to take precautions. At the time, they were reportedly unaware that Owens was the sheriff.
The bodycam footage was posted online by David Cavender, who is challenging Sheriff Craig Owens Sr. in the Cobb County sheriff race.
Dondelinger labeled the incident ‘an abuse of power’ in a statement.
He expressed: “I’m shocked the sheriff feels so flippant about this issue that he would have deputies run lights and sirens, placing citizens at risk and his deputies at risk, just so he could get information from a business owner that clearly could have been followed up on another day.”
Defending his actions, Sheriff Owens described the situation as a simple business dispute, noting that any citizen could have sought police intervention for similar reasons.
He clarified: “I was not in my uniform, and at no point in my interaction with the staff did I identify myself as a member of the law enforcement community.
“At no point did I indicate my position, nor did I ask the responders to do anything that they would not, had not, or have not done for anyone else who makes a business dispute call.”