High Point Pastor Arrested for Assault on McDonald’s Employee

The pastor pushed the employee’s head toward the deep fryer after the victim allegedly disrespected his wife

A High Point, NC, pastor has been arrested and charged with assault and battery after an altercation with a few employees at a local McDonald’s.

Dwayne Waden is the pastor at Elevated Life International Ministries and his wife, LaToya, was the manager-in-training at the McDonald’s in question. Mrs. Waden claims she had faced consistent disrespect from coworkers since being hired in May 2023.

On December 28, she called her husband to tell him she was being disrespected yet again.

Dwayne drove to the McDonald’s to pick his wife up and take her home. When he arrived, he told her to grab her things, clock out, and leave. That’s when the situation escalated.

Dwayne described what happened next to WFMY 2:  “She went to the back to get her keys. When she went to the back to get her keys, a gentleman came from behind, which was a manager, mouthing off at me and disrespecting my wife. I approached him and said, ‘What you’re not going to do is disrespect my wife in front of me.’”

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According to a police report, Dwayne put his hands around the neck of an employee, pushed his head toward a deep fryer, and punched him in the face several times. Several McDonald’s employees had to step in to pull Waden off the victim.

Local EMS checked out the victim but did not take him to the hospital. The police report stated that he “suffered a large contusion to the forehead and right eye, along with scratches on his neck.”

LaToya Waden is no longer an employee at McDonald’s. The owner of that location issued the following statement: “The safety and security of our employees and customers is our top priority, and I was appalled by this act of violence in my restaurant last week. Law enforcement was called immediately when this incident occurred, and we will continue to cooperate with the authorities on this matter.”

Waden posted a $1,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court January 22.

Main photo: High Point pastor Dwayne Waden and his wife LaToya speak to WFMY2 / Video screenshot