In a shocking incident that has raised food safety concerns, three employees at a Wendy’s in South Carolina were taken into custody. The staff members are accused of retrieving discarded food from the trash and contaminating it with spit before serving it to a dissatisfied customer who had voiced complaints about her original order.
The individuals in question, Aaliyah Shuntai Sanders, 23, Trinity Lashell Rice, 19, and Shadela Crystal Holley, now face serious legal repercussions. They have been charged with tampering with a human drug product or food item for their actions at the Union location of Wendy’s.
Fox Carolinas relayed that the arrests were carried out separately over the span of several days between June 16 and June 22, bringing each suspect into custody.
Trinity Lashell Rice (left), Aaliyah Shuntai Sanders (center), Shadella Holley (right) are the employees at the center of this alarming incident. They allegedly retrieved food from the trash and spat on it before presenting it to the unsuspecting customer. (Union Public Safety)
The troubling episode unfolded on May 31 when a patron, after using the drive-thru, discovered a problem with her meal. She subsequently asked for a refund. Although the staff initially collected the complained-about food, they later offered to prepare a fresh order. The customer chose to accept this gesture and left the premises, unaware of what had transpired.
The image shows a close-up of a Wendy’s meal. (Matthew Staver/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While driving, the customer received a phone call from someone at the restaurant who informed her that an employee had pulled her food from a trash can and spat on it.
Upon checking the meal, the woman realized the “new” order was actually the same food from her initial order.
She immediately contacted the police to report the incident. The victim also called the store to speak with the restaurant manager, who confirmed he had spoken with the staff and verified the allegations. The manager noted that all three employees involved had been written up.
News Media has reached out to the fast-food chain for comment.