David Fayez Gadelkarim, 54, owner of two businesses in Hillsdale, was arrested at Burger King on Feb. 18 on suspicion of unlawful imprisonment and 4th degree criminal sexual conduct.
Gadelkarim, an Egyptian-American who owns both the Shell Gas Station and Hillsdale Smoke Shop on Carleton Road, allegedly lured an employee to a back room of the auto shop two doors down from the Shell Station, forced her to consume alcohol, and then sexually assaulted her, according to a report released by Hillsdale Watch, a community news group.
After the unnamed victim finished her work shift at 11 p.m. on Feb. 16, Gadelkarim allegedly took her to a small room set up like a bedroom and offered her alcohol. When she refused the attention and expressed her displeasure, Gadelkarim forced her to drink liquor and touched her hair and legs, according to the report.
The victim asked to leave.
“Stay the night here, and you can leave in the morning,” he responded, according to the report. After much protest from Gadelkarim, the employee was finally able to leave the premises.
According to several women who shared their experiences with the Collegian, last week’s incident was not the first time Gadelkarim had made unwanted advances on young female employees.
“I only worked for him for about a day and a half,” one former employee, who asked not to be named, said of her time at the Shell Gas Station.
During the hiring process, Gadelkarim asked her if she had a boyfriend.
“I didn’t like the way he talked to me,” she continued. “He was very disrespectful. I told him I wasn’t his wife and that he couldn’t talk to me like that.”
After the employee quit, Gadelkarim’s wife called her several times on her personal cell phone, threatening to beat her.
“He was very demanding to me when I didn’t do things right on my first day,” she said, adding that Gadelkarim called her “stupid.”
“He also said that I was very beautiful and asked why I had a boyfriend,” she continued. “He told me that I should be single because men are bad news.”
Another employee lasted three weeks in Gadelkarim’s employment, working at both the Shell Station and the Smoke Shop, before quitting.
“He was really creepy to me,” the employee, who also asked not to be identified, told the Collegian.
“He said he only wanted to work with women,” the employee said. “He’d never hire guys.”
The employee explained that Gadelkarim often offered to buy her food from Olive Garden or pizza, asking her to come with him to Olive Garden several times.
“One time I just said, ‘I’m on a diet,’” she said. “And then he said, ‘that’s how you get a body like that.’”
The employee explained that whenever he sat down near her, he would sit so close that their knees practically touched, and then stare at her.
According to the Hillsdale Daily News, Gadelkarim posted 10 percent of his $60,000 bond.
His arraignment is set for 8:45 a.m. on Feb 29. in Hillsdale County District Court.