Chad Anthony's co-owner reports harassing text messages
The co-owner of Chad Anthony's restaurant chain has filed a report with a second Valley police department about former employees.
The co-owner of Chad Anthony's restaurant chain has filed a report with a second Valley police department about former employees.
Tim Merlin, who along with a partner operate Chad Anthony restaurants in Austintown, Liberty, and Salem, filed a report with the Beaver Township Police Department on March 28 alleging he had received text messages accusing him of sexual harassment.
Merlin told police that the messages came after February 1 when he told employees that a new supervisor was being brought on board.
Merlin told authorities that when the supervisor who had been replaced left the business, several members of that supervisor's family, who had been working for the restaurant, quit their jobs.
Police have redacted from the report obtained by 21 News the names of the supervisor and seven people that Merlin believes may be responsible for the texts.
Merlin reported the harassing texts on the same day he filed a report with Austintown police alleging that more than $33,000 from his business had been deposited into accounts associated with his former business partner Chad Anthony Scianna.
Through an attorney, Scianna has denied doing anything improper saying he was entitled to the money as part of a deal to sell his stake in the restaurant chain to Merlin and his partner.
Merlin told the Beaver Township officer that he has had no complaints of sexual harassment during his involvement with the restaurant, adding that he was rarely inside the business, other than to dine with his family.
According to Merlin, he spoke with Major Jeff Allen with the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office who said that the texts appeared to be from phones in Warren, East Liverpool, and Canton, Ohio, as well as Washington D.C., and Florida.
Merlin says Major Allen told him that it appeared that the calls were the result of “spoofing”, a technique used to make it appear that the calls originate from some place other than the actual location.
When the Beaver Township officer asked Merlin if he wished to pursue charges, he said he just wanted the accusations to stop, according to the report.
No charges have been filed in connection with either the Austintown or Beaver Township report.
