BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Georgia sheriff calls deputies after Burger King got order wrong

  • Body cam video shows sheriff asking deputies to get store manager's name
  • Sheriff's opponent in upcoming election says it was a waste of resources
  • Call is 'being politicized,' sheriff said, but he apologized
A close-up view of a police vehicle with the windows and doors closed.

(Getty Images)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

(NewsNation) —  A Georgia sheriff up for reelection in his county was seen on body camera videos asking his deputies for help after Burger King got his order wrong.

The footage from March 4, 2023, was obtained by WSB-TV last week and was also posted on Facebook by the sheriff’s opponent in the upcoming election, David Cavender. It shows deputies responding to a Burger King in Mableton and approaching Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens Sr., who is in his truck.

“Hey, do me a favor,” Owens told one deputy in the video. “I need to get, all I need is the owner name of whoever owns this damn facility or the manager.”

Referring to a passenger in the vehicle, Owens says, “I wanted her a Whopper, no mayo, cut in half, right?” He then says he doesn’t need his money back, but to “find out who owns this place so I can do an official complaint.”

Employees locked themselves inside the restaurant but opened the doors for the three deputies. A deputy told the assistant manager that “nobody is in trouble. We just want to get some names” and that there wouldn’t be a report written. After getting the name of the manager and the company that owns that Burger King location, the deputy brought this information to Owens.

Mike Dondelinger, who is running for chief deputy with Cavender, called Owens’ actions an “abuse of power” as well as a waste of resources.

“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,” Dondelinger said.

However, Owens characterized what happened in the video as a “business dispute call.”

“The type of call referenced in the video is a business dispute call. This is a call that ANY citizen can make, and law enforcement will respond,” Owens said Friday in a statement posted to Facebook.

Owens said he was not in uniform during the incident and went through the drive-thru as a regular patron.

“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,” Owens said.

While Owens said the call is “being politicized” by Cavender to win votes, he apologized.

“Whether as a Command Sergeant Major, or a major in the Cobb Police Department, or as sheriff, I have always worked to build confidence and trust in leadership,” Owens said in the statement.

Southeast

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Mostly Cloudy

la

63°F Mostly Cloudy Feels like 63°
Wind
5 mph SW
Humidity
85%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
57°F Partly cloudy skies. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
4 mph NE
Precip
3%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Full Moon