Hornaday reportedly said at a news conference on Monday that a Kansas police officer concocted the story as a joke, adding that the issue had turned into a "black eye" on his department - a reference to his now-deleted post on Facebook where he reportedly dubbed the incident a "black eye" on the city.
“This is now, absolutely, a black eye on law enforcement”, he said, cited by The Hill, adding that the officer who made a false claim had been fired.
The owner of the Junction City McDonald’s, Dana Cook, said earlier they have video surveillance footage showing it was not their employee.
“My McDonald’s have the utmost respect for all members of law enforcement and the military and were troubled by the accusation made. We thoroughly reviewed our security video from every angle, which clearly shows the words were not written by one of our employees. We look forward to working with Chief Hornaday as he continues his investigation", said Cook, cited by the KSNT broadcaster.
Herington Police Chief Brian Hornaday reportedly spent Saturday at the McDonald’s looking at security videos but could not find any evidence, according to KSNT. Hornaday earlier condemned the incident and described it in a now-deleted Facebook post as "very frustrating".
On Sunday, the owner of the Junction City McDonald’s told him they found video evidence that proves it was not their staffer. Cook reportedly promised Hornaday they would bring in the clip soon but earlier canceled because of snowy roads.
The Geary County Sheriff's Department said on social media that "the Sheriff and some of his command staff will be visiting" the venue to have a cup of coffee as "a show of faith in our community".