A now former Wendy’s manager was charged with false imprisonment in Tennessee after police said she tied a coworker to a grill as part of an apparent TikTok prank.
Michiko Burton was arrested on Thursday, September 17, in connection with the incident at a Wendy’s in Murfreesboro last month, the Murfreesboro Police Department said in a Friday, September 18, news release.
In addition to false imprisonment, Burton, 19, is charged with simple assault.
Burton is accused of tying an employee, who was described by police as neurodivergent, to a workstation with a grill on August 30. Neurodivergent is a “nonmedical term that describes people whose brains develop or work differently,” according to Cleveland Clinic.
Police said they interviewed Burton on September 6, when she “claimed the incident was part of a TikTok trend.”
After the matter was referred to Adult Protective Services and investigated by Special Victims Units detectives, a warrant was obtained for Burton’s arrest, according to police.
Burton allegedly used garbage bags to tie the employee’s leg to a grill, as seen in footage captured by another Wendy’s employee, Nicholus Murphy, per WSMV-TV.
“I actually felt sad for him,” Murphy told the TV station. “I actually wanted to cry.”
Murphy shared that Burton reportedly said she wanted the employee to “stay put” while she worked elsewhere in the restaurant.
The employee’s family has since retained attorney Isaac Kimes as their legal counsel, according to WSMV-TV.
Kimes told the TV station that “this has been an awful traumatic event” and added that the man was “not doing well.”
Though Burton allegedly said she tied the man to a workstation for a TikTok prank, Murphy told WKRN-TV that the claim is “not true.”
“It’s my video and there was no TikTok video at all,” he said.
Following Burton’s arrest, she was detained at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, where she was held on a $2,000 bond, according to police.
Court records viewed by Us reveal she posted bond and was released. The records didn’t indicate whether she retained legal counsel.
Burton is due in court on October 22, records show.
Kimes told WSMV-TV that the employee’s family is deciding whether to pursue legal action against Burton and said they think “that it’s absolutely inappropriate, unsafe, and dehumanizing to tie an employee to a grill.”
In a statement to the TV station, Wendy’s franchisee, Wendy’s of Bowling Green which runs the Murfreesboro restaurant, said: “Upon learning of the situation, it was promptly investigated and appropriate action was taken. We remain committed to maintaining a respectful workplace where all employees are treated with dignity and respect.”
Murfreesboro is about a 35-mile drive southeast from Nashville.
