Lewisburg gas station employee charged after alleged assault at Fuel On

A 24-year-old Lewisburg resident listed in court papers as nonamegiven Vinay was charged after a customer accused him of grabbing her buttocks inside Fuel On, the gas station at 415 N Derr Dr. in Lewisburg. Police say the employee, who reportedly goes by the nickname Prince, was at the counter when the alleged contact happened on Feb. 1.

Buffalo Valley Regional Police Officer Cole Wirt said he was called to the store after the woman reported the incident. The customer told police she was a regular at the station, had seen Prince before and believed the two were on friendly terms before the encounter. She said he greeted her with “Hello gorgeous” when she walked in, then allegedly reached out and touched her.

According to the complaint summary, the woman paid for gas and left the store, but said Prince followed her outside. She told police that when she said she would report the incident to his boss, he became upset and asked her not to do that. Investigators say surveillance video showed the woman entering the store and later showed Prince walking up behind her from the back of the store and reaching down to touch her.

Vinay was charged with misdemeanor indecent assault, along with summary harassment and disorderly conduct. Under Pennsylvania law, indecent assault covers indecent contact without consent or under other specified circumstances. The case is set for a preliminary hearing May 7 before District Judge Jeffrey A. Rowe in Lewisburg, the first step in many misdemeanor cases.

The charge drew attention in part because the alleged conduct unfolded in a place many Union County residents use every day. Fuel On sits in a busy commercial corridor in Lewisburg, and the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department, which investigated the complaint, serves Lewisburg Borough and East Buffalo Township. The regional department was formed by the borough and township in 2012 and is headquartered at 1610 Industrial Boulevard Suite 500 in Lewisburg.

For Lewisburg customers, the case underscores the pressure on public-facing businesses to keep routine stops safe. A gas station cashier or clerk is often the first person a driver sees after pulling off Route 15 or leaving downtown, and the allegations in this case place that ordinary interaction at the center of a criminal charge.