Two women employed at a McDonald’s restaurant near Greatwood apparently have been fired after an altercation with a male customer who says they assaulted him.
The women, both 18, have not been further identified by law enforcement officers.
They were questioned by sheriff’s investigators after 20-year-old Ramond Smith complained that they assaulted him on July 13 while he was at the restaurant, biting and groping him, and later stealing items out of his car.
The incident garnered intense media attention for a few days afterwords, after Smith’s mother, along with Houston community activist Quanell X, accused the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office of not taking Smith’s accusations seriously.
Sheriff’s officials disagree, and say they’ve spent more time investigating the allegations than has been spent in the initial stages of some murder investigations.
Smith’s family and law enforcement officials met Thursday evening, and his mother said early Friday that it’s now their wish to let the case proceed through the courts rather than be “tried in the media.”
Later Friday, Debbie Adams, who holds the McDonald’s franchise for the restaurant at 1125 Crabb River Road, said the two women involved in the incident no longer have jobs there.
“Rest assured, we care deeply about the well-being of our customers and employees. Their safety is a top priority,” Adams said in an email to FortBendNow.
“Since learning about these allegations, we have fully cooperated with the authorities in their investigation of these claims,” Adams said. “We also conducted our own investigation to gather the facts.”
“Action has been taken, consistent with our employment policies. The individuals in question are no longer employed by my organization,” Adams said. “Beyond that, it would be inappropriate to discuss the personnel matters of these individuals.”
Law enforcement officials say misdemeanor charges have been filed against the two women. Also, an investigative report on the incident nearly is finished and may be presented to Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey over the weekend.
Healey has said he’ll look at the report and determine whether to pursue felony charges in the case.
