A Georgia sheriff who is up for re-election this year is facing backlash after body camera videos released last week show deputies coming to the sheriff’s aid after he got the wrong order at Burger King last year.
According to media reports, Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens got so mad that the fast-food restaurant got his order wrong that he called his deputies to the store outside Atlanta in March 2023.
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Body camera footage obtained by WSB-TV shows Owens in his personal vehicle and wearing plain clothes asking deputies for help after they showed up with their sirens on.
“Hey, do me a favor. I need to get, all I need is the owner name of whoever owns this damn facility or the manager,” Owens told one deputy. “I don’t need no damn money back no more. I just need to find out who owns this place so I can do an official complaint.”
After the deputies went into the store, a deputy told the sheriff that the employees were afraid because angry customers in the past had caused issues.
The sheriff laughed and asked, “You didn’t tell him who I was, did you?”
Owens’ challenger in the election, David Cavender, posted the body camera video to Facebook.
“I think it’s an abuse of power,” Mike Dondelinger, who Cavender plans to appoint as his chief deputy, told WSB-TV.
Owens told WSB-TV that he “probably should have just drove off” but added that he said he asked for either a resolution or a refund, both of which the Burger King manager denied.
“It was about the wrong order, and it would make my wife sick. If she ate mayo she would get sick, so we clearly explained that to him,” Owens said.
The assistant manager of the store told WSB-TV that Owens cursed and raised his voice, prompting them to lock the doors.
Owens also addressed the incident in a Facebook post:
“Unlike my opponent, I will not mislead in an attempt to gain votes. I have been in his shoes, facing an uphill battle in a campaign. However, our team chose truthfulness, and you all rewarded me with this office. I ask for your vote so we can continue moving away from what he represents,” he wrote.
Owens was first elected in 2020.
