Dec. 4, 2003, 6:22AMWoman who flew into rage over burger convicted of assault
McDonald's manager hit with car
By ANDREW TILGHMAN
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
A McDonald's customer who flew into a violent rage when she was denied mayonnaise on her cheeseburger was convicted Wednesday of felony assault for running over the restaurant's manager.
Waynetta Nolan, 37, faces up to 20 years in prison for hitting Sherry Allen Jenkins with her car, dragging the employee across the parking lot and breaking her pelvis.
In the middle of the lunchtime rush, the longtime McDonald's employee had briefly stepped into the drive-through lane to take down the disruptive customer's license plate number when Nolan's sedan lunged forward, witnesses said.
Witnesses said 43-year-old Jenkins screamed, "Stop! Please stop!" as she was thrown from the car hood, caught between the wheels and scraped along the pavement.
Nolan, who has previous convictions for assault and prostitution, said she was oblivious to the entire April 23 episode at the McDonald's near Bissonnet and Beltway 8 in southwest Houston.
Nolan said she had inched her car forward to put ketchup on her burger when she heard a car horn. Realizing she was blocking drive-through traffic, she said, she gunned her car forward.
Nolan testified Wednesday that she thought she had rolled over "a bump" when she ran over Jenkins.
Jurors took less than an hour to convict Nolan of aggravated assault. They will return to state District Judge Brock Thomas' courtroom today to decide Nolan's punishment, which could range from two to 20 years in prison.
The incident began when an 18-year-old employee working at the drive-through window told Nolan mayonnaise was not an option on McDonald's cheeseburgers. When Nolan became angry, she was encouraged to pull her car around to the window counter and speak to the manager.
Witnesses said Nolan cursed and threw a cheeseburger back though the drive-through window.
When Jenkins offered a special-order cheeseburger with mayonnaise, witnesses said, Nolan complained her french fries had grown cold. After receiving new fries, she then demanded a new drink.
Unable to pacify the belligerent customer, Jenkins finally called police, who asked her to get the customer's license plate number.
After running over Jenkins, witnesses said, Nolan sped from the parking lot and drove into oncoming traffic on a one-way feeder road. She was arrested at her home after a man who saw the assault followed her and reported her plate to police.
Jurors had the option of convicting Nolan of a lesser crime, such as misdemeanor reckless driving, but prosecutors said it was her spectacular departure that likely led to her felony assault conviction.
"Did she stop?" asked Assistant District Attorney John Jordan. "Did she say, `Oh my Lord, what have I done?' "
Nolan's attorney, Troy Wilson, said his client simply panicked. "I think more than anything, it was the panic afterward that hurt her with the jury."
