Washington Township, NJ - Kohl's Employee Mekhi Clarke Accused of Sexually Assaulting Underage Customer, Also Charged with 'Upskirting' Woman at Lowe's

Kohl’s Employee Accused of Sexually Assaulting Minor, Taking Upskirt Photo at Lowe’s

Kohl’s employee Mekhi Clarke has been accused of sexually assaulting a juvenile customer inside the department store’s Turnersville location. This is not the first case of sexual misconduct allegations against Clarke. Last month, he was also arrested for allegedly taking “upskirt” photos of a female customer while working at Lowe’s.

The 23-year-old Clarke was arrested for the second incident on Wednesday, August 7. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office says that Clarke inappropriately touched a juvenile customer in the Washington Township store on Monday, August 5. He was charged with second-degree sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child in connection with this incident.

Clarke was also arrested on July 26 for allegedly using his cell phone to take “upskirt” photos of a female customer while he was working at Lowe’s in May. He was charged with third-degree invasion of privacy in that case.

Anyone with information related to either of these alleged incidents has been encouraged to call the police at (856) 589-0330 or the prosecutor’s office at (856) 384-5645.

Legal Options For Store Employee Sex Abuse Victims & Their Families

Attorney Guy D'Andrea is a former sex crimes prosecutor and has offered to add some general information concerning the legal options available to victims of sexual abuse by store employees:

Businesses have a legal duty to screen employees before hiring them in order to ensure that no one is hired who could pose a danger to customers and coworkers. When a customer is sexually assaulted at a business by an employee of that business, it’s important to investigate both the accused and the business itself to determine if the business met this legal duty.

In some cases, the sexual assault may have been prevented if not for negligence by the business. For example, if the employee had a history of sex crime charges but the business didn’t run a background check and hired that employee anyway, the business might be considered negligent. In cases of negligence, the victim may have grounds for a civil lawsuit for sexual assault.

If you or a loved one has been sexually assaulted at a business by an employee, you can learn more about your legal options by speaking with an experienced sexual assault victims lawyer.

Sources:

https://courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2019/08/08/kohls-worker-accused-sexually-assaulting-young-customer/1959424001/