Restaurant Pic Has Allegheny Co. Sheriff's Deputies In Trouble

PITTSBURGH, PA — Two Allegheny County sheriff's deputies are in quarantine and could face disciplinary action after being photographed maskless over the weekend in a restaurant defying the current state ban on indoor dining.

The photo was posted on the social media pages of the Crack'd Egg on Brownsville Road in Brentwood, which is defying Gov. Tom Wolf's ban on indoor restaurant dining until Jan. 4. The prohibition was issued last week after an alarming rise in coronavirus cases and deaths across the state.

The photo of the two deputies, which since has been taken down, ran with the caption, “We #backtheblue because they’ve got our back too.”

The Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook that the two unidentified deputies are being quarantined for 14 days and that they were notified that an internal investigation into the incident has begun.

"We are going to take swift disciplinary action if our findings show the deputies were in violation of any policy or order," the post stated. "We don't tolerate any deputy that violates a health order from the governor, the county executive or any health agency. We have been proactive in issuing policy directives and reminders that we are tasked to enforce that deputies remain compliant with COVID guidelines."

In September, the Crack'd Egg's owners filed filed a federal lawsuit alleging that state and county coronavirus regulations are illegal. The restaurant was ordered to close for seven days in August for violating state coronavirus mitigation mandates for restaurants.

In October, the restaurant filed for bankruptcy but continued to operate.

Despite Wolf's most recent edict, issued Thursday, the Crack'd Egg was open for indoor dining over the weekend.

The restaurant plans to hold a Christmas party this weekend in further defiance of Wolf's order.