Manager at Domino’s Pizza charged after alleged ‘tickle fight’ with juvenile employee

A Clermont man was arrested for inappropriately touching a juvenile employee working at Domino’s Pizza.

An officer responded to Domino’s Pizza, located at 240 Citrus Tower Blvd., regarding a juvenile employee being touched inappropriately by his 34-year-old manager, Alexander Fabian Villalba Cahuaya, on Thursday, July 2, according to an arrest report from the Clermont Police Department.

The juvenile victim explained that he was sitting in the office in a rolling chair that day when Villalba Cahuaya sat on his lap, facing away from him. Villalba Cahuaya then reached behind his back and began tickling the juvenile victim around his lower stomach and crotch. He also pinched the juvenile victim’s genitals, the report said.

Villalba Cahuaya continued touching him and trying to tickle him while he tried to push Villalba Cahuaya off his lap. The juvenile victim added that Villalba Cahuaya was very “touchy” with other young male employees and touched other staff members often. He had also previously questioned the juvenile victim, asking, “Are you sure you’re only (undisclosed age),” followed by wishing he was already 18 years old, the report said.

The officer next entered the restaurant, where Villalba Cahuaya gestured for him to follow into the office. Villalba Cahuaya immediately stated he had footage from the alleged incident, and he knew law enforcement was coming because the juvenile victim’s mother called before they got there. He was then asked to explain his side of the story, the report said.

Villalba Cahuaya stated that as the general manager, he liked his employees to feel like family, the report said. He often “tickles” his employees from a playful place that was not intended to be sexual. During the incident in question, he sat on the juvenile victim’s lap and reached behind himself to tickle the juvenile victim. He thought the juvenile victim was okay with it, and had the juvenile victim asked him to stop, he “thinks he would have stopped.”

The video of the incident began with the juvenile victim sitting in a chair in the office while speaking with a coworker. When Villalba Cahuaya walked in, he sat on the juvenile victim’s lap and did not do anything at first. He did not start tickling the juvenile victim until the coworker walked away, the report said.

The juvenile victim was clearly shocked and uncomfortable because he jumped and immediately grabbed Villalba Cahuaya’s hands, pushing them away. He laughed but repeatedly stated “okay” and “alright” in a tone of voice that clearly indicated he did not want to be touched like that. The entire time, the juvenile victim tried to push off Villalba Cahuaya and moved his hands away from his groin area, the report said.

At two separate points, the juvenile victim loudly yelled, “Ouch.” He later explained this was when Villalba Cahuaya pinched his genitals. Villalba Cahuaya sat on the juvenile victim’s lap for about a minute and a half, the report said.

The officer subsequently interviewed staff members, who all stated that “tickle fights” were not common. Villalba Cahuaya did not tickle staff like he claimed he did because they were “family.” Roughhousing was normal between the younger staff members, but tickling and touching were abnormal. Staff members also noted that Villalba Cahuaya was homosexual and had a husband, the report said.

At that point, the officer returned to Villalba Cahuaya for a formal interview. He reiterated that his actions were not sexual in nature and were intended to be playful. The officer asked why he did not stop when the juvenile victim was trying to push him off, to which he stated he did not interpret that as the juvenile victim wanting it to stop. When asked if he believed the juvenile victim was sexually “into” him, Villalba Cahuaya took some time to think about the question rather than immediately saying no, the report said.

Villalba Cahuaya also advised that he pinched the juvenile victim’s stomach. The officer informed him that the video showed his hands were much lower, and he stated he only felt “soft tissue.” He was unsure if he may have pinched the juvenile victim’s genitals, but he did not believe he did because he thought he would have felt a belt buckle, the report said.

The officer then asked if Villalba Cahuaya knew how old the juvenile victim was, to which he stated he did because he was the one who hired the juvenile victim. He had hired the juvenile victim only three weeks prior and had only known him for that long. The report noted this was a very short period of time to engage in a “tickle fight.”

Villalba Cahuaya was arrested on charge of indecent, lewd or lascivious touching of certain minors. The native of Paraguay was booked at the Lake County Jail without bond.