Employee suspended after "Urine in Nachos" prank

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) Multiple viewers sent NewsChannel 15 a picture using Report !t of what appears to be someone urinating on a plate of nachos.  

To view the picture, click here.

The Fort Wayne Allen County Department of Health began investigating the incident that took place at the intersection of Lima and Ludwig Roads in Fort Wayne after they were also made of aware of the prank on Twitter.

Cameron Jankowski posted the picture on his Twitter account and asked his followers what he should "pee" on next. He also sent the photo to two other Twitter accounts asking the same question.

According the department of health, Jankowski has been suspended from his job at Taco Bell.

Taco Bell has released the following statement:

Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and team members. We have strict food handling procedures and zero tolerance for any violations. As soon as we learned of the situation, we immediately investigated and found the photo was an ill-conceived prank and the food was never served to customers. We find this prank absolutely unacceptable, and we plan to terminate anyone involved and work with authorities to pursue legal action.

Jankowski pleaded his case on his Facebook page.  A status update on Thursday stated, "I poked a hole in the top of a water bottle and filled it with really watered down mountain dew.  I took the bottle and the nacho bell to the back utility sink and squeezed the bottle on to the nacho bell, making it look like I was [urinating] on it.  My manager was aware that it was not urine and it is all a joke."

Leaders with the department of health called the picture an isolated incident and said it did not make its way into retail sale.  They couldn't confirm or deny if that was in fact urine going into the nachos, but have passed their investigation along to the Fort Wayne Police Department,  which can inflict penalties from a legal standpoint.

Friday Update:  Although the department of health doesn't think the nachos were served to the public, Fort Wayne detectives are investigating what happened. 

If Jankowski actually urinated in the nachos and they were served, he could be charged with a Class D Felony, which carries along with it six months to three years in jail.   If the nachos were served and caused serious bodily injury, he could be charged with a Class B Felony meaning six to 20 years in jail.

If detectives find that Mountain Dew was poured in the nachos and they were thrown away, Jankowski will receive no charges from police.

"This is not something that we see very often.  This is very rare," said Raquel Foster with the Fort Wayne Police Department.

According to a spokeswoman with Taco Bell, legal action could be coming toward Jankowski because of what they call defaming actions toward the Taco Bell brand.  That will depend on the seriousness of the incident and findings from Fort Wayne police.

The Fort Wayne Police Department requested information NewsChannel 15 saved from Jankowski's now deleted social networking pages.  That information will be used as part of the department's investigation.

"Part of our investigation as well is to explore those postings, any images that may have been re-tweeted, and shared with other individuals," Foster said.  "You post something to the internet, it's there forever and if anyone re-tweeted it or if he shared any of those pictures with anyone else, that's evidence and so that's going to be part of our investigation."