A manager at the Aldi store in Fayetteville on Oct. 19 was charged with sexual battery following an investigation of a June 7 complaint by a customer.
David L. Holder, 30, of Hampton, was charged with sexual battery, according to Fayette County Jail records.
Fayetteville Police Department spokesperson Ann Marie Burdett said officers on June 7 at approximately 4:52 p.m. were dispatched to the Aldi store on Ga. Highway 85 North in reference to a domestic call.
Police met with the complainant, a female customer, who reported that while she was shopping in Aldi, the manager (David Holder) bumped into her shoulder. At the time she believed it was an accident, Burdett said.
“Shortly thereafter, the complainant reported that Holder walked right by her and she felt someone had grabbed her buttocks. The complainant confronted Holder and told him ‘do not touch me’ and ‘do not play games,” Burdett said. “The complainant also reported that she was intimidated when the person yelled at her, ‘What are you talking about?'”
Burdett said the complainant went to the front of the store to check out and to report the incident to the store manager, only to discover that the store manager was Holder, the person she believed grabbed her buttocks.
Police asked Holder if the allegations were true and he reported that he may have accidentally brushed against the complainant while walking down the aisle, but that he never grabbed her buttocks, said Burdett.
The investigation into the June 7 incident, which included a review of the store’s surveillance camera footage and obtaining witness statements, culminated in Holder’s arrest on Oct. 19.
The Aldi corporate office was contacted for a statement pertaining to Holder’s status with the company. The Citizen received no response by press time.
