A former Wendy’s manager in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is facing criminal charges after she allegedly tied a neurodivergent employee to the restaurant’s grill using garbage bags, an act that was recorded and shared with local media. Michiko Burton, 19, was charged with simple assault and false imprisonment, a misdemeanor, following the incident on August 30. Detectives obtained a warrant for her arrest this week after reviewing evidence and interviewing those involved. The incident was captured on video by Nicholus Murphy, a fellow Wendy’s employee who said he was shocked and deeply disturbed by what he saw. In the footage, the employee is shown standing near the grill with a garbage bag wrapped around his ankle and tied to the equipment. Murphy said Burton told him she didn’t want to “babysit” the employee before tying him up. He described feeling “sad for him” and said he “wanted to cry.” The employee’s family confirmed he is neurodivergent, meaning he has a condition that affects how he processes information, interacts with others, or behaves, but he has not been publicly identified. Burton claimed the act was part of a TikTok trend during an interview with police, but Murphy and the employee’s family rejected this explanation. Murphy questioned where the TikTok video was, suggesting the trend was not legitimate. The employee later told police he wasn’t upset or injured, and no charges were filed at the time. However, the family later requested the investigation be reopened. An area manager of the restaurant said the incident was “unacceptable” and that Burton was fired. The case was referred to Adult Protective Services and investigated by the Special Victims Unit. The employee’s attorney, Isaac Kimes, called the incident “awful and traumatic,” noting that the young man in the video is “not doing well.” Burton was booked into a local detention center on a $2,000 bond but was released by Tuesday. Kimes said the family believes it was “inappropriate, unsafe, and dehumanizing” to tie an employee to a grill and suggested Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas would not have approved of such behavior. The family is considering legal action. Wendy’s of Bowling Green, the franchisee that owns the restaurant, issued a statement emphasizing that employee safety and well-being are their top priorities and that the incident was “inconsistent with our values.” Burton is scheduled to appear in court on October 22.