Sexual Assault at a Bakery

A Public Health Inspector in Los Angeles County has been accused of sexually assaulting a bakery owner and has been suspended from the job without pay. The bakery owner was groped in the back room where the incident was also caught on tape.

The Department of Public Health’s County Supervisor was the one who insisted on the Health Inspector’s termination and is now urging for his arrest and criminal prosecution. Sexual assault comes under section 243.4 of the California Penal Code. It may either be filed as a felony or a misdemeanor depending on the seriousness of the case.

Three factors must be met when proving a sexual battery: 1) Touching of an intimate part of another, 2) Touching was: a) against will of the person OR b) consent was fraudulently obtained AND 3) Touching was to specifically cause sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse.

An investigation is currently ongoing to determine whether all three factors were met to file charges of sexual assault/battery against the Health Inspector. Meanwhile, a civil complaint has been filed against the county on behalf of the bakery owner, for $10 million in damages.