Richboro Dairy Queen Owner Faces Indecent Assault Charges

RICHBORO, PA — A Bucks County Dairy Queen owner is facing corruption of minors and indecent assault charges for inappropriately touching a 15-year-old female employee and then deleting video footage of the incident, police said.

Parthkumar Patel, of Huntington Valley, was arrested on May 14 and charged with corruption of minors, a felony of the third degree; two counts of indecent assault, a misdemeanor of the second degree; and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, a misdemeanor of the second degree.

The Northampton Township Police Department launched an investigation on March 20 after the mother of the 15-year-old girl reported that her daughter had been touched inappropriately by the owner of the store located at the Addisville Commons Shopping Center at 922 Second Street Pike.

During an interview, the victim told police that around 9:40 p.m. on March 20 she was called into the office by the owner, Parthkumar “Pete” Patel, to discuss an employment issue. Police said the two went into the closed office where Patel had her sit in a chair to fill out forms.

While completing the forms, the employee told police that Patel began massaging her shoulders and subsequently placed his hand down her shirt and onto her upper breast area. The incident scared the female and she left the office, police said.

On her way out of the office, two managers observed that she was visibly upset and she told them what had happened. She was then picked up by one of her parents, who subsequently called police.

One of the managers told investigating Detective John Gross that he had gone into the office after the victim had left the store to review the surveillance video, but found that the time frame when the owner and the female were in the office was missing from the system.

During an interview with Patel, Detective Gross said Patel acknowledged that he was in the office with the girl to discuss an employment issue, but denied any allegation of touching her. Detective Gross also asked Patel about reviewing the surveillance footage of the time frame in question, but Patel told the detective that the footage had “disappeared” from the system.

Through the course of the investigation, police said the surveillance DVR/recorder was forensically analyzed and the deleted video was recovered. When reviewed, the footage confirmed what the employee had told police.

Patel was arraigned by Judge Brian Marriott who set bail at $75,000 unsecured with conditions that he has no contact with the victim and no unsupervised contact with any employee under the age of 18.

Anyone with additional information regarding this case or a related incident should contact the Northampton Township Police Department at (215) 322-6111 and ask for Detective Gross.