A Kansas police officer who made headlines this weekend after claiming he received a cup of coffee with an expletive written on it by a McDonald's employee has lost his job after it emerged the whole story was made up.
"McDonald's and its employees did not have anything whatsoever to do with this incident. This was completely and solely fabricated by a Harrington police officer who is no longer employed with our agency," Herington Police Chief Brian Hornaday said Monday, according to Daily Beast.
The unnamed officer, who had only been with the department for two months, went viral when he shared a photo of the coffee cup that had “(bleep)ing pig” written on it. He said he got the profane message at a Junction City McDonald's drive-thru, in a now-deleted post to Facebook.
He later said it was "meant to be a joke" but Hornaday said the officer "should have come forward immediately" before it became "a nationwide incident."
McDonald's launched its own investigation into the matter upon hearing about the incident over the weekend. After reviewing security footage, the fast-food outlet determined that none of its employees had written the controversial note.
"While we are glad that the evidence confirmed our evaluation that the McDonald's and our employees, crew members were absolutely not involved, we stand with our community in being disappointed about these actions," said Lenor Brazzi, Director of Operations for the Junction City McDonald's branch in a statement Monday, according to WIBW.
"Our McDonald's family maintains great respect for all members of law enforcement and our military. It is with great pride that our restaurant is always open to them."
Hornaday added that the "actions of this former officer" was not a reflection of the Harrington Police Department's values and character. "The duty of every police officer is to protect and serve with the highest level of integrity and trust," he said "This incident has been an obvious violation of that public trust."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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