One North Carolina man is accused of taking the protection of his wife’s honor to a whole new level.
Latoya Gladney, 44, a manager in training at a McDonald’s in High Point, North Carolina, reportedly called her husband for assistance after employees at the store were “disrespecting” her.
Her husband, Dwayn Waden, 57, obliged her request and turned up at the popular fast food joint shortly after.
According to a Business Insider report headlined “Pastor accused of trying to throw a cook into a deep fryer at McDonald’s for ‘disrespecting’ his wife,” a police report stated Waden entered the restaurant before walking straight behind the counter and launching an assault on an unsuspecting cook.
“The offender came into the McDonalds on S Main Street, walked around the counter and placed his hands around the neck of the victim pushing his head toward the deep fryer,” the report stated, according to Business Insider.
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“The offender also punched the [victim] several times on the face, and did not stop until several employees pulled the offender off the victim,” it continued.
“The victim suffered a large contusion to the forehead and right eye, along with scratches on his neck. [Emergency services] responded and the victim chose to let his family transport him to hospital.”
The alleged assault is made all the more shocking by evidence that Waden works as a pastor, a role that typically involves discouraging people from committing acts of violence.
According to his personal Facebook page, Waden works as a “Semi Truck Driver” and as a pastor at Elevated Life International Ministries.
If found guilty, should the pastor be dismissed from his role?
“Your legacy is tied to your gift,” reads his latest post, published Nov. 19. “Your gift is tied to your purpose. Your purpose is tied to your success. You find out all of that, when your journey in discovering who God is begins.”
It remains unclear whether his wife will be punished by McDonald’s for her Waden’s alleged acts and her role in the incident, as well as what impact it will have on her managerial training.
Meanwhile, it is far from the first time that McDonald’s workers have faced violence in the workplace.
In 2019, a group of employees in the Chicago area filed a lawsuit against the company citing a “nationwide pattern” of violent incidents across the fast food chain’s thousands of franchises in the U.S., according to NPR.
“The incidents described in this complaint are not random or unforeseeable,” the suit argued.
“Rather, they are part of a citywide and nationwide pattern at McDonald’s restaurants. Further, they are the result of choices made by McDonald’s that undermine safety.”
In a statement at the time, according to NPR, McDonald’s said that it takes “seriously its responsibility to provide and foster a safe working environment for our employees, and along with our franchisees, continue to make investments in training programs that uphold safe environments for customers and crew members.”
