Crime & Safety

Pelican Pete's Owner Sentenced For Sex Abuse

Juan Alberto Melgar sentenced to 18 months for sexually abusing waitress.

The owner of Pelican Pete’s was sentenced to 18 months in prison for sexually abusing a waitress in the Germantown restaurant’s bathroom, according to The Gazette.

Juan Alberto Melgar, 53, of the 11000 block of Staten Court in Germantown, entered a plea of guilty to third-degree sexual offense, reduced from the weeks after the Aug. 6 incident.

Montgomery County police and statements in made in Montgomery County District Court sketched out a scenario of a late night of drinking and after-hours partying at now-closed restaurant off Wisteria Drive:

Find out what's happening in Germantownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After closing Pelican Pete’s for the night, Melgar and several of his employees stayed for drinks, which stretched into the early morning hours of Aug. 7. Melgar went with the group to drink more at La Mexicana restaurant, less than a mile away. When La Mexicana closed, the group went back to Pelican Pete’s to keep drinking. At one point, the waitress—who had been working at Pelican Pete’s for a month—went to the bathroom. Melgar came in, kissed her, pushed her into a corner and forced her to have sex, according to police.

Melgar left the bathroom after five minutes, police said.

Find out what's happening in Germantownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Days later, Melgar was arrested without incident at Johnny’s Kabob, which he also owns, .

Assistant State’s Attorney Amy Bills said that because of the lighting in the bathroom and the victim’s intoxication level, she wasn’t able to say for sure whether she had been raped, according to The Gazette, which also referenced court records that showed a rape kit failed to produce Melgar’s DNA.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.