Clearwater Chick-fil-A owner, former church youth leader accused of molesting teen girl
CLEARWATER, Fla. (FOX 13) - The owner of Chick-fil-A in Westfield Countryside Mall in Clearwater, Florida has been charged with molesting a teen girl, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives arrested and charged Heather Matuszek, 32, of Dunedin, with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. They say Matuszek has admitted to two occasions of the alleged abuse, which the victim said happened in 2014 when Matuszek was a youth leader at Clearwater Community Church.
The incidents happened outside of the church setting, investigators said, adding contact between leaders and youths outside of the church is not uncommon.
According to her victim, who was 15 years old at the time, Matuszek, then 28, slept in the victim’s bed two separate nights.
The victim reported Matuszek kissed her face and rubbed her arms, body, and breast area, over her clothing.
The victim also said there were other incidents involving Matuszek outside of Pinellas County, which the sheriff's office said are being investigated by the relevant agencies.
Detectives say Matuszek no longer attends Clearwater Community Church, however, there may be other victims who go to the church. The sheriff’s office asked anyone with information to call Detective Ghosio of the Crimes Against Children Unit at 727-582-6006.
Chick-fil-A issued a statement Wednesday evening, saying, "This is deeply disturbing news. No one should ever be subjected to this sort of abuse and we are shocked and saddened by the report. Law enforcement has jurisdiction over this matter and we are awaiting full facts to inform our actions. Chick-fil-A, Inc. is sending company representatives to the location for restaurant support.”
A 2016 post on the Facebook page for Chick-fil-A Westfield Countryside Mall welcomed Matuszek as its new owner/operator, saying, at the time, she worked for the company for six years. The post said she was an interim manager and traveled across the country, helping with the operation of multiple restaurants.