Three lawsuits and a criminal charge against a former manager of the Sabraton Dunkin’ have been resolved.
Through his attorney, Robert Garrison, 54, pleaded no contest to battery in Monongalia County Magistrate Court on Tuesday. According to a criminal complaint, Garrison was caught on camera at Dunkin’ grabbing the arm of a minor and twisting it behind her while she was working in July 2020. He also put her in a choke-hold.
Magistrate Sandy Holepit accepted the plea and sentenced Garrison to serve one year of unsupervised probation. Garrison also must take anger management classes and have no contact with the victim.
Assistant Prosecutor Ami Main told Holepit the victim and her mother were both satisfied with the plea.
Garrison and Doughnut Joe’s LLC, the company that owns the Sabraton Dunkin’, were also defendants in three civil lawsuits, which have since been voluntarily dismissed, according to attorney Chirag Desai, who represented all three women.
Two women filed suits in August 2020. In October, another woman sued the same defendants on behalf of her 15-year-old daughter, identified in the suit only by initials, the battery victim. All three women said Garrison sexually harassed them and Doughnut Joe’s was negligent by keeping him employed and failing to stop his conduct.
Monongalia County Circuit Court records show two of the cases were dismissed April 30. The third was dismissed Monday. An “approval of minor settlement” was approved in one of the cases, which was filed under seal and is not accessible without a court order.
The Dominion Post could not reach the attorneys who represented Doughnut Joe’s or Garrison in the civil cases in time for this report.
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