Louisville parents confront restaurant after teen targeted by employee, registered sex offender

LOUISVILLE, Ky (WDRB) -- A teenage girl’s excitement over her first job quickly turned into a family nightmare after troubling messages from an older man at the restaurant she was getting a job at.

Kelsey Haberman—the girl’s mother—said her daughter, who is autistic, had been thrilled to land a job at Lucretia's Kitchen, right in their neighborhood.

"This would have been her first job. She was excited, so it was a big step for her," Haberman said. "And we were excited because it’s right down the street and close to home."

The excitement faded when her daughter began receiving unsettling text messages from a man in his 60s who worked at the restaurant. What started as an invitation to come in escalated into increasingly inappropriate comments.

"She's 17, and after that he continued and said 'it's OK, I'm just trying to be your friend. I have a lot of young friends. You're beautiful. You remind me of my niece,' and then continued to call her," Haberman said. "And so from there, she gets off the bus from school, rushing home, and she immediately shows me the messages because she said they just felt weird to her."

Concerned, Haberman and her husband went to the restaurant to confront the man. She said emotions ran high during the encounter.

"So we read over the messages and we decided we're going to call the police, but we're also going to walk up to the business and confront them, let them know what's going on," she said. "And so me and my husband did that and of course, yes, I was upset. And as any mom would be, because I was being too loud they immediately met me with aggression, tried to push me out of the restaurant."

The restaurant owner told the family the man was no longer employed there, without offering further explanation.

Lucretia's Kitchen posted a statement on its Facebook page Thursday morning regarding the situation, and said they "acted quickly to address" the situation when it was brought to their attention.

"We want to take a moment to directly address a serious situation. At Lucretia's Kitchen, we hold ourselves to the highest standards and take immediate action when those standards are not met," the statement reads. "Once this issue was brought to our attention, we acted quickly and the individual involved is no longer employed with us. We remain committed to creating an environment that reflects the values and standards our community deserves."

Authorities say the man is a registered sex offender. State court records show he was convicted in Daviess County for rape, sodomy, and being a persistent felony offender. He served 12 years in prison and is required to register as a sex offender for life.

"He watched her go from her bus stop and walk home for a few days before reaching out to her," Haberman said.

Police are reportedly following up with the man in connection with the incident.

Haberman said the experience has left her shaken, but grateful her daughter acted quickly.

"We are just glad she told us right away," she said.

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