MADISON, Miss. (WJTV) - Management at Fernando's restaurant in Madison said they were shocked when they heard an employee was accused of sexually assaulting a woman.
Officers arrested Jose Rigoberta Meija-Cubias, 37, of El Salvador, Thursday, January 30 in connection to the case. They said he was located at the restaurant and taken into custody while a search warrant was being conducted at the establishment.
During the course of the search warrant, police said they discovered that several people, who entered the country illegally, were employed at the restaurant. U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) responded to the scene and arrested seven people.
Fernando Gomez, who started the family business, said he was shocked when he heard what happened. He said the business will be more careful about who they hire.
“I guess the next time somebody does that, we probably have to make sure they legal already other than the ID’s that they provide to us. Let’s make sure that they really are not fake," said Gomez.
Meija-Cubias made his initial appearance in Madison Municipal Court on Friday, January 31. He was given the following bond on all of his charges listed below:
- Sexual Battery of a Physically Helpless Person - $1 million bond
- Tampering with Evidence - $250,000 bond
- Three counts of Photographing Another Without Permission Where There is an Expectation of Privacy - $600,000 bond
ICE has placed a detainer on Meija-Cubias. Police said he was previously deported from the United States in 2010.