A fast food manager in Gary faces felony charges after performing a sex act in front of a newly-hired non-English speaking teen employee, records allege.
Adnan Bani Hani, 37, of Gary, is charged with sexual battery and criminal confinement. He is not in custody. When arrested, he is ordered held on a $3,000 cash bond.
The girl told police that she went into Sharks Fish and Chicken, 511 Vermont St., on March 30 with her mother to pick up an Uber Eats order to deliver when Bani Hani offered her a job on the spot.
She stayed. Her mother left.
The girl soon grew “uncomfortable” when the man asked her for sex. She refused.
Since she didn’t speak English, they used phone apps to translate.
When her mom called back a few times, the girl didn’t answer, afraid the man would use the phone to translate. The mom started texting her. The girl asked to come pick her up.
He took her to a storage room where he touched her breasts under her shirt, then lifted up her sweater. He performed the sex act in front of her.
The sound of chimes at the door interrupted – the girl’s stepdad arriving to get her.
After the mom asked what happened in their vehicle, they went to the police.
Gary Police Det. Olivia Vasquez wrote they got a search warrant to seize Bani Hani’s phone. He appeared nervous.
He denied using the phone, saying he communicated with the girl by “hand gestures,” the affidavit states. He said he didn’t touch her or ask for sex.
He asked officers several times if she was over 18. He told police he wanted to talk to a lawyer.
A security video showed Bani Hani and the girl talking in an office. He is smoking and using the phone to translate. He takes her to the storage room and locks the kitchen from the lobby.
mcolias@post-trib.com
