Taco Bell fires worker from viral hand-in-pants photo

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Taco Bell officials said an employee at an Ohio franchise was fired after a viral photo on social media showed him with his hand down the back of his pants.

The picture, which was posted to Taco Bell's official Facebook page by concerned customers, shows an employee at a Sandusky, Ohio, location with his left hand down the back of his pants -- apparently inside his underwear.

The Erie County Health Department said officials visited the store after a complaint about the photo was lodged with the department Monday.

Taco Bell released a statement in response to the controversial photo.

"This is completely unacceptable. Our franchisee took immediate action and has terminated the employee and retrained the entire staff. We want customers to know that the person in the photo was never in contact with the food, and that the Health Department inspected the restaurant and approved its operations."

The company fired two Taco Bell workers in June of 2013 after a viral photo emerged showing one of the employees licking a stack of taco shells. The company said the shells were for training purposes and were not served to customers.