A Facebook post by Fort Myers police officer Tim McCormick showing a picture of his receipt went viral before being deleted.
McCormick took to social media with claims that a Fort Myers Burger King put dirt in his sandwich.
The post was picked up by Blue Lives Matter where angry commenters described it as part of a larger conspiracy that places cops’ lives in danger.
But it turned out to be another false allegation.
The post read:
“LADIES AND GENTLEMAN OF THE LINE!!
I WAS THE OFFICER WHO WAS SERVED A BURGER AT BURGER KING AT 4004 CLEVELAND AVENUE IN FT MYERS WITH DIRT IN IT, AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST BURNED OLD BACON, I WAS HUNGRY AND ATE THE BURGER, AT THE LAST BITE I SAW DIRT AND GRIT ON THE BURGER. IN DISGUST, I THREW IT OUT OF THE WINDOW. I QUICKLY NOTICED THAT MY RECEIPT HAD BIG BLOCK LETTERS WITH THE WORD POLICE ON IT. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN THE CASE PREVIOUSLY. I WENT INSIDE AND MADE CONTACT WITH THE MANAGER WHO SAID “SORRY, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?” JUST BEFORE SPEAKING TO THE MANAGER THE STAFF MEMBER FROM THE DRIVE THRU ASKED “WHAT THE MATTER OFFICER SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR ORDER?” THEN SHE AND THE OTHER STAFF HAD A GOOD LAUGH. SOME DAY WE FIRST RESPONDERS JUST WANT TO GRAB A QUICK BITE BECAUSE WE ARE OVERWHELMED WITH CALLS, AND THIS IS HOW WE ARE TREATED. I CONTACTED COOPERATE OFFICES AND THEY SAID “NOT OUR PROBLEM WE’LL HAVE THE FRANCHISE OWNER CONTACT YOU”, WHEN CONTACTED BY THE FRANCHISE OWNER HE SAID “IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR DIRT TO GET INTO FOOD, YOU’RE CRAZY!”
SO TO MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS I SAY THIS. ONLY EAT AT SAFE PLACES AND CHECK YOUR FOOD BEFORE HAND. EXCELSIOR!!!!!!”
The post went viral and had over 22,000 shares before being deleted.
McCormick believes he was targeted because the receipt said police and that “this is how” first responders sometimes get treated.
Dan Fitzpatrick, chairman and CEO of Quality Dining Inc., which owns 90 Burger Kings franchises in Florida, reached out to the department after receiving word of his allegations.
“This has my full and undivided attention,” Fitzpatrick said, according to Naples News.
Fitzpatrick and other officers reviewed security footage and determined that there was no wrong doing and suggested that the “dirt and grit” was just spices, according to News-Press.
The reason behind the label POLICE on the receipt is due to a way that branch is trying to make a more personal connection.
“Every one of our guests we ask ‘May we have your name to better serve you?’,” said Fitzpatrick.
McCormick first responded as “officer,” but when asked to repeat it since they could not understand, McCormick said “police officer.”
So far McCormick has not made a public apology for accusing the hard working employees.
Currently McCormick’s fake named account is still up and is violating Facebooks Terms of Service as well as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which is a felony.