Arby's Manager Arrested For Urinating In Milkshakes For His Own 'Gratification'
Topics: US News, Food and Drink, Crime
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/omfgashleyx/Instagram
Topics: US News, Food and Drink, Crime
Police have said a manager at the American fast food chain Arby's was caught urinating into the store's milkshake mix while under investigation by for child pornography.
Footage of the unhygienic act was found by police during a search of employee Stephen Sharp's digital devices amid an investigation by the Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit at the Vancouver Police Department.
Authorities launched the investigation after Sharp was allegedly found to have possessed and distributed 'dozens' of sexually explicit images and videos of children, likely having downloaded at least one piece of content in close proximity to his place of employment.
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He was arrested on 10 May and confessed to downloading and distributing child pornography and having a sexual interest in children.
Police in Vancouver, Washington, confirmed the news of Sharp's act at the restaurant in a news release on Sunday (15 May), explaining: "A search warrant was executed on Stephen Sharp's digital devices located on his person and at his residence. A preliminary search by a DECU digital forensics investigator revealed a video of a subject later identified as Stephen Sharp urinating in a container confirmed to be milkshake mix from Arby's.
"Stephen Sharp confessed to detectives he urinated on at least two occasions into the milkshake mixture for sexual gratification... The Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit has not located evidence that Arby's or its franchisee were aware of the abhorrent actions of Stephen Sharp."
The fast food chain, which specialises in sandwiches, has more than 3,000 locations across the country and offers a range of milkshakes on its menu.
Court records cited by The Columbian show that another manager at the Arby’s told detectives the restaurant sold at least one ice cream float and approximately 30 to 40 milkshakes on the day the footage of the urination was taken.
Officers are now working to identify members of the public who may have unknowingly fallen victim to Sharp's contamination of the milkshake mix, with any customers who purchased a milkshake at the Arby's located at 221 NE 104 Ave., in Vancouver, Washington, on either October 30 and 31, 2021, asked to contact Detective Robert Givens at [email protected].
The investigation into Sharp's seized digital devices is still ongoing, though the employee has been booked at the Clark County Jail and charged with four counts of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and four counts of dealing depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and assault.
In a statement to UNILAD, a spokesperson for Arby's confirmed Sharp has been fired in the wake of the allegations.
They commented: "The alleged actions of the former franchised employee are abhorrent and unacceptable. We have taken immediate action with the franchise group who terminated the former employee and is fully cooperating with the authorities in their investigation."
Sharp is scheduled to be arraigned May 25.
UNILAD has reached out to Arby's for further comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 8am–10pm Monday to Friday, 9am–6pm weekends. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111