LAMAR COUNTY, Ga. — County officials have responded to claims made by a local restaurant owner who said they were shutting down because of an incident with a public works employee.
The owners of The Country Kitchen accused a public works employee of cursing at their employees. The owners said on social media the county worker was being “unprofessional.”
However, the Lamar County Board of Commissioners said their review has determined the complaint was “unfounded.” They released several body camera videos on Monday.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“The county’s Chief Building Inspector did not use profanity and did not act in a disrespectful or unprofessional manner toward any Country Kitchen employees or owners,” commissioners wrote in a statement.
After the commissioners’ release, County Kitchen’s owners said they made their claims off a “trusted” employee. They apologized to the county worker who they named in their initial post.
“Our statement went far beyond what was intended, and in doing so, an innocent man’s name was unfairly and publicly harmed. For that, we are fully responsible,” the owners said in a statement.
You can see the body camera footage from Jan. 9 below:
The county also released body camera footage from a Dec. 19 visit to the restaurant for the initial environmental inspection.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]