LAURENS, S.C. (WSPA) — Police arrested a man after officers say he was caught on video tattooing an unidentified minor inside a South Carolina McDonald’s restaurant.
Brandon Presha, 28, of Laurens, has been charged with one count of illegal tattooing and one count of underage tattooing, which carry a combined $25,000 bond, according to the Laurens Police Department.
Presha is not a licensed tattoo artist, according to police.
The video shows a man, who police identified as Presha, wearing gloves and using a tattoo pen to administer the ink to the minor’s left wrist or forearm.
DHEC officials referred the case to law enforcement and released the statement below.
“DHEC refers complaints about unlicensed tattoo facilities to local law enforcement. This is because DHEC does not have statutory authority to take action against unlicensed tattoo facilities. State law limits DHEC’s authority to take action on a license and impose monetary penalties on the licensed tattoo facilities.
To ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the public, DHEC does ensure complaints about unlicensed tattoo facilities are sent to local law enforcement for action as deemed necessary. A person who violates the S.C .Tattooing Law is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined up to 2,500 or imprisoned up to one year, both.
DHEC has been in contact with the local law enforcement about this yesterday.”
DHEC
The McDonald’s franchisee, Mason McDonald’s, released this statement:
“In our restaurants, nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our customers & employees. The conduct reported is not in line with the values of our organization or in line with our expectations for how restaurants should be run. We are investigating the incident and will take appropriate action to ensure that my restaurant is both a safe place for my employees to work and for my customers to enjoy.”
Mason McDonald’s