Louise Ogborn: McDonalds Strip Search “Prank” Victim
Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, False Imprisonment, Interrogation, Humiliation.
On April 9th, 2004 something truly strange and disturbing took place. A man called the McDonald’s fast food restaurant in Mount Washington, Kentucky claiming to be a police officer. Assistant Manager Donna Summers was told that one of her employees; a young brunette woman, was being accused of stealing a customer’s purse and that the regional manager was on the line with them. Summers pulled the employee whom the caller described, 18-year-old Louise Ogborn into the back office. Ogborn consistently denied the allegations. The caller instructed Summers to either bring Ogborn to the police station to be arrested or to strip search her in the office to try and recover the allegedly stolen money.
Summers never once questioned the man on the phone and made Ogborn take off her McDonald’s uniform, shoes, socks, bra, and underwear. Ogborn was given a dirty apron to wear while Summers searched her clothing. Over the next 3 hours, Summers would leave the office to attend to customers and then come back frequently, often leaving Ogborn with someone to watch her. At one point she sent a male coworker to watch Ogborn and talk to the “officer” on the phone, but the coworker refused to comply with the caller’s requests to make Ogborn disrobe. The caller suggested that Summers have her fiance, 43-year-old Walter Nix, watch Ogborn while she worked.
Nix obeyed the caller’s bizarre requests and forced Ogborn to take off the apron, do jumping jacks, bend over, and stand on a chair. As time passed the caller’s orders became more violent and sexual. He told Nix to spank Ogborn for 10 minutes straight. Summers checked in on Nix and Ogborn occasionally but denied witnessing anything violent or sexual between the two. Toward the end of Ogborn’s captivity in the office, Nix forced her to perform a sexual act on him which he claimed was ordered by the “cop”. It was not until Summers called her regional manager, who had no knowledge of what had happened, that she realized that the man on the phone was not a police officer.
The phone call was eventually traced to David R. Stewart, who was identified on camera purchasing the phone card linked to the call. Stewart was charged with impersonating a police officer and solicitation of sodomy. He was acquitted of all charges on October 31st, 2006. According to some reports, between 1992 and 2004, 70 calls of this nature were made to various businesses across the country.
Walter Nix was sentenced to 5 years in prison for sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, and false imprisonment.
Donna Summers was sentenced to one year of probation for a misdemeanor of criminal confinement.
Nix and Summers ended their engagement and Summers was relieved of her position at McDonald’s shortly after the incident.
In 2006 Ogborn was awarded $6.1 million dollars in damages for her ordeal, but the surveillance video of her interrogation as well as the audio of the phone call is available on YouTube and other platforms. In 2012 the movie Compliance starring Dreama Walker was released. The film focuses on Ogborn’s ordeal as well as Summers’ commitment to comply with the caller’s instructions.
