19-Year-Old Wendy’s Manager Who Allegedly Tied Neurodivergent Employee to Grill Arrested on Multiple Charges
Police say the former manager admitted the act was a TikTok trend, and the worker’s family asked investigators to reopen the case after video surfaced.
- On Thursday, Sept. 19, Murfreesboro Police Department Criminal Investigations Division detectives charged former Wendy's manager Michiko Burton, 19, with misdemeanor simple assault and false imprisonment for tying a neurodivergent employee to a grill.
- Burton admitted to tying the neurodivergent worker to a workstation at the South Church Street Wendy's on August 30, claiming the act was part of a TikTok trend and intended as a joke.
- Co-Worker Nicholus Murphy recorded the incident, which an area manager later called 'unacceptable'; Wendy's of Bowling Green confirmed Burton was fired following an internal investigation.
- Burton was booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $2,000 bond, with a General Sessions Court date set for October 22 before Judge Ben Hall McFarlin III.
- The employee's family is currently considering whether to pursue further legal action, while Adult Protective Services continues scrutinizing the case after Murphy and the family disputed Burton's 'joke' justification.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Why was a Tennessee Wendy’s manager charged with a felony?
A Tennessee Wendy’s manager is now facing serious legal consequences after a kitchen stunt involving a co-worker went completely off the rails. Nineteen-year-old Michiko Burton was arrested following an investigation into her behavior at a Murfreesboro location. She currently faces charges of simple assault and false imprisonment. These charges are misdemeanor offenses that could result in her spending up to a year in jail. As reported by the NY…
Wendy’s Manager Arrested Over Tying Neurodivergent Employee to Grill for Alleged TikTok Prank
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 […]
The Independent
The Independent (US)Ex-Wendy’s manager who ‘tied a neurodivergent worker to a grill’ facing charges
Michiko Burton, 19, allegedly claimed it was part of a TikTok trend
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