Brockton man charged with assaulting disabled employee at Middleboro coffee shop

By Cody Shepard Brockton Enterprise
Posted Jun 22, 2019

The Hugs & Yums Coffee Lounge was highly anticipated in Middleboro, but police say the owner was using predatory business practices and assaulted an employee.

MIDDLEBORO — It was touted as a coffee shop that would warm your heart, then your stomach, where you would be served by baristas with Down syndrome and other functional needs.

But police say the unopened business, the Hugs & Yums Coffee Lounge at 51 Center St., was using predatory practices — and the owner withheld pay and assaulted and intellectually disabled employee.

Police say Charles G. El-Helou, the 53-year-old Brockton man and owner of the business, was arrested on Friday as a result of a two-week investigation.

A warrant was sought after detectives met with an Assonet woman on Thursday. She told detectives her 25-year-old son had been assaulted by the owner, El-Helou. The woman’s son started working as a painter and laborer at the business, which hadn’t announced an opening date yet, in late May.

Police say El-Helou tried to get the alleged victim to sign his vehicle’s title over to him on May 31 by promising to buy the victim a new truck from a dealership. But the man refused to do so and later reported the interaction to his mother.

Days later, during an event at the business on June 3, the man told El-Helou he could not work the next day because his car was being repaired. Police say El-Helou then claimed the vehicle belonged to him and grabbed the employee by the neck and made a growling sound before releasing him.

The 25-year-old man continued to work at the business through June 14, but police say he never received any pay for the labor he did, despite filling out a W2 and other employment forms. The man’s uncle went with him to the business later that day so he could collect his tools.

Police say El-Helou paid the man an undisclosed amount of cash after speaking to the man’s uncle.

Detectives filed an application for criminal complaint at Wareham District Court and sought a warrant for El-Helou’s arrest, which was granted by a clerk magistrate on Friday. El-Helou was arrested later on Friday without incident.

El-Helou’s bail was set at $500 at the police station, pending his arraignment Monday in Wareham District Court on a felony charge of assault and battery on a person with an intellectual disability.

“In this instance, we allege that the suspect withheld compensation and assaulted his intellectually disabled employee while trying to force him to sign over the title to his motor vehicle,” Police Chief Joseph Perkins said. “This is a disturbing and unfortunate situation, in which we believe vulnerable citizens were being taken advantage of, and we urge all of our residents and families to be vigilant.”

El-Helou also opened the Eldiwan Restaurant and Lounge on the south side of Brockton in the KMart shopping plaza in November 2018. He told the newspaper at the time that he originates from Zahle, Lebanon, but has lived in Brockton for a total of nearly 30 years. The restaurant sold traditional Lebanese cuisine — and the new Middleboro coffee shop advertised that it would have Lebanese food.

Police say El-Helou is known to authorities. He was summonsed to Brockton District Court in December 2018 by Brockton police on charges of larceny over $1,200 and identity fraud.

The investigation into the Hugs & Yums Coffee Lounge remains active and ongoing and additional charges may be filed, according to police.

The coffee shop’s Facebook page posted a message on Friday night saying many rumors have been spread, but later deleted the post.

“Many rumors were spread in the last weeks,” the post stated. “Soon we will post everything on our page. It is just a matter of time for the truth to be revealed, and again thank you a lot for our supporters who are standing with us.”

Police say the case has been reported to the Massachusetts Disabled Persons Protection Commission and a report will be filed with the state attorney general’s office on Monday.

Anyone who has additional information on the case or has any questions or concerns is asked to contact the Middleboro Police Department at 508-947-1212.

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