An Indianapolis police officer forgot he took a bite out of his sandwich before accusing McDonald's staff of helping themselves to his McChicken. (Photo: WTHR13)

An Indianapolis police officer is eating crow after accusing employees at a local McDonald’s of taking a bite out of his sandwich because he’s a cop. It turns out, it was the officer himself who sunk his teeth into the McChicken sandwich.

“The employee took a bite out of the sandwich upon starting his shift at the Marion County Jail, then placed it in the refrigerator in a break room. He returned nearly seven hours later having forgotten that he had previously bitten the sandwich,” the Marion County Sheriff's Office said in a statement to WTHR. “He wrongly concluded that a McDonald’s restaurant employee had tampered with his food because he is a law enforcement officer.”

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The officer, who appeared in a WTHR segment with his voice and face disguised, previously told the network that he ordered a McChicken sandwich, fries and cookies, and discovered an entire bite taken out of the food when he arrived at work and opened up the bag.

"I started to warm up my McChicken and I noticed several small bites. I know I didn't eat it. No one else was around. I said, 'You know what? I am going to the McDonald's to see if they can get that taken care of," said the officer, who the network referred to as DJ. "I went to the McDonald's and talked to the supervisor. She offered me some free food I didn't care anything about. I just wanted to find out who the person was and they deal with that person in an appropriate way."

Managers at the McDonald’s told DJ they would look into who was working when he made his order.

According to the sheriff’s office, DJ has since formally apologized to McDonald’s for making the accusations.

“The investigation has determined that McDonald’s restaurant staff in no way tampered with the employee’s food. He has since formally apologized to McDonald’s,” the statement read. “We recognize that McDonald’s is a valued civic partner, and any insinuation in private or in the media to the contrary is unfounded.”

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