Cop resigns after admitting HE wrote 'f***ing pig' on his McDonald's coffee cup, took a photo of the label and then blamed the 'vulgar message' on his drive-thru server

'This was completely and solely fabricated by a Herington police officer no longer employed with the agency,' Herington police chief Brian Hornaday said Monday. 

'The investigation that I conducted showed that this was meant to be a joke,' he admitted. 'However, we can see that how something so serious can get so out of control very, very quickly. 

'The most important thing that could have been done and should have been done in this scenario would be to come forward immediately ... however, unfortunately that was not done.' 

The name of the McDonald's customer has been kept confidential because it's a personnel issue, according to the police chief who said they have 'no reason whatsoever to protect the former officer'. 

The cop was a Military Police Officer for five years and the United States Army veteran had worked for his department only two months.

He is not expected to face criminal charges. 

According to Hornaday, the Herington Police officer said he had collected the beverage on his way to work at 6am and noticed the message. 

He claimed that when he complained about the message he was only offered a 'free lunch' by management.

'This was completely and solely fabricated by a Herington police officer no longer employed with the agency,' Herington police chief Hornaday (right) said Monday

KWCH, reported that the police chief noted: 'This police officer has never met the McDonald's employee. 

But the police chief had suggested it was likely personal grievance from an employee but did not believe the fast food chain had the same views. 

'This is what he paid for. Although I understand this is likely the act of one person and not a representation of the company, when it was brought to their attention the company offered him a 'free lunch'. No thank you,' Herington Police Chief Brian Hornaday shared in a Facebook post.

He added 'a Big Mac and large fries doesn't make up for it'.

As Hornaday called for action, he noted the police officer's role in the community.

'The US Veteran who continues to serve deserves much more. This is not only bad for McDonald's, but is also a black eye for Junction City,' he added. 

'He has spent the last two months serving the citizens of Herington, visiting patients at Herington Municipal Hospital during Christmas who couldn't be home for the holidays, participating in a Christmas give away at Herington Elementary School and many other positive things geared towards providing a positive future for the City of Herington.' 

The 1127 South Washington Street branch of the fast food chain is located about a two-hour drive from Kansas City.  

As social media users kicked off about the issue online, another law enforcement agency, the Geary County Sheriff's Office, pointed out that 'we don't know the whole story' and added 'we, humanity as a whole, have become quick to judge'.   

'As a show of faith in our community the Sheriff and some of his command staff will be visiting to have a cup of Coffee Monday morning,' their statement read. 

The owner of the branch had told DailyMail.com they were investigating the matter and noted that McDonald's is a 'strong supporter of our police, military and first responders'.

'In fact, I have several family members who are law enforcement officers,' Dana Cook said Sunday.  

Herington Police Chief Brian Hornaday shared in a Facebook post that the United States Army veteran who had worked for his department only two months 'deserves much more' 

Hornaday told 13 News Monday morning that there was a 'whole lot more to the story than what is being portrayed online', adding: 'Hopefully, McDonald's will follow through with showing me the video that didn't exist when I met with them Saturday night.'

Later Hornaday said that based on what he saw in a morning meeting with the McDonald's representatives, they were looking further into the matter. 

It was soon announced the officer was no longer employed.

The police chief added that he thinks the event will be used as an example in police academies to show cops what not to do. 

'Integrity is the one and only sole trait of a police officer that you cannot allow to be damaged,' Hornaday said. 'Once you damage your integrity, you're done. You will not work in this profession ever again.

'What I do not want to happen here is for the American public to look at this situation and call into question the integrity of any other officer in this country.

'Moving forward, the Herington Police Department will work tirelessly to regain the loss of trust with both McDonald's and with the citizens that we serve.

'I truly hope the former officer of the Herington Police Department that did this understands the magnitude of the black eye this gives the law enforcement profession from coast to coast.'  

The local sheriff's department tried to encourage the community to stick together despite the outrage as locals called for the employee to be fired and for McDonald's to publicly apologize

On Monday, the McDonald's owner/operator expressed disappointment after finding out the truth.

'We appreciate the Herington Police Department's efforts to thoroughly investigate this troubling incident,' Cook told DailyMail.com Monday. 

'While we are glad that the evidence confirmed our evaluation that McDonald's and our crewmembers were absolutely not involved, we stand with our community in being disappointed by these actions.' 

Cook said the staff fully cooperated with the investigation but hinted the unfortunate incident will not affect their relationship with the department.

'We took seriously our role to be transparent and fully cooperative with Chief Hornaday throughout his investigation, and we look forward to continuing a strong relationship with the department,' added in a statement. 

'Our McDonald's family maintains great respect for all members of law enforcement and the military, and it is with great pride that our restaurant is always open to you.' 

The police chief has since removed the Facebook post.

He told WIBW-TV that his reaction after the initial report was based on believing that a police officer has integrity 'and it would be foolish of any law enforcement agency or professional to not take the word of their police officer until they can be proven otherwise'. 

'Judgment is something that should be made at the end after all evidence and all facts have been gathered and presented,' he said.