A Georgia sheriff was furious that Burger King had messed up his order and called the sheriff to the store.
Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens, who is up for re-election this year, called a deputy to the Burger King on Veterans Memorial Highway in Mableton on March 4, 2023, to help deal with a failed order. This was revealed in body camera footage. Obtained from WSB-TV. Owens' opponents in the upcoming election have accused the sheriff's actions of an abuse of office.
Three deputies were dispatched to the fast food restaurant with sirens blaring.
Officers approached Owens in a truck parked in the restaurant's parking lot. Owens was not in uniform or in a sheriff's office vehicle.
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On March 4, 2023, Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens called deputies to the Burger King on Veterans Memorial Highway in Mableton. (Cobb County Sheriff's Office)
“Hey, please. All I need to get is the name of the owner or manager of this damn facility,” Owens says to one of the deputies.
“I wanted her [to get his female passenger] Whopper, it's not mayonnaise, it's cut in half, right? ” he continued.
The sheriff added: “We don't have to give the money back anymore. We just need to find out who owns this place so we can file formal charges.”
Unsure why the sheriff was not asked for information himself, they approached the door of the restaurant, only to find the employees trapped inside.
Eventually, the employees were able to open the door and persuade the deputies to come inside.
“No one is in trouble. We just want to collect some names,” one of the deputy managers told the assistant manager.
“There's not even going to be a report written,” the aide said. “The guy over there is going to file a complaint about his food.”
After getting the name of the manager and the company that owns the Burger King location, the deputies left the restaurant and returned to the sheriff's office.
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Owens was not in uniform or in a sheriff's office vehicle at the time of the incident. (Getty Images)
Sheriff's deputies told the sheriff's office that employees were fearful because of past angry customers that escalated into stalking behavior.
The sheriff asks with a laugh, “You didn't tell him who I was, did you?”
“No, I said it was the guy in the truck,” the deputy replied.
Owens is seeking re-election this year, and his challenger, David Cavender, posted a video on Facebook on Friday.
“I think this is an abuse of power,” Mike Donderinger, who Cavender will select as his chief deputy, told WSB-TV.
Donderinger called the incident an expression of intimidation and a waste of resources.
“The sheriff was so cavalier about this issue that he put the public at risk by having the sheriff turn on his lights and siren, and he used his own deputies to get information from a business owner that he clearly could have followed up on.” I was shocked that they would put me at risk for another day,'' Donderinger said.
But the sheriff maintains this was a business dispute that any citizen could have.
Three deputies were dispatched to the fast food restaurant with sirens blaring. (St. Petersburg)
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“I was not in uniform and at no point in my interactions with staff did I identify as part of the law enforcement community,” he told WSB-TV. “At no time have I expressed my position, nor have I expressed my position to any other person who called me regarding a business dispute that they did not do, did not do, or would not do. I never asked the responders to do anything.”
Owens also claims the incident has become politicized in an election year.
“I have always strived to build confidence and trust in my leadership, both as a command sergeant, as a major with the Cobb Police Department, and as a sheriff,” he said. “My fellow citizens and residents, it is clear that we need to do more, and I pledge to do so.”
“Anything that takes away from that mission is a distraction, and for that we deeply apologize,” Owens said.
