Chick-Fil-A Owner Allegedly Drove Hundreds Of Miles To Sleep With 15-Year-Old

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

A Chick-fil-A restaurant owner from Ohio is behind bars in North Carolina right now after he allegedly drove over 400 miles to meet a 15-year-old for sex.

Stacy Lee Austin was arrested in the Tarheel State on Tuesday. According to the Charlotte Observer and others, the 49-year-old drove from his home in Belmont, Ohio to Rowan County to meet and have sex with an unidentified teenager. No, he wasn’t met at the door by Chris Hansen. It’s a lot worse, unfortunately…

Per the reports, the 15-year-old’s father called the cops on Tuesday after he came home and found Austin inside his house. Cops showed up and discovered that Austin had already allegedly “performed sexual activities” with the teen. They found Austin’s underwear in a trash can in the bathroom along with some of the juvenile’s clothing. Then, after he was arrested, Austin reportedly admitted his involvement to cops — telling them he engaged in sex acts with the juvenile. The businessman also told them he was worried about losing… his franchise.

Frankly, no longer being able to sell anti-LGBT funding chicken is the least of his worries now… This man is likely going to prison for a long, long time.

Per the Observer, Austin was charged with a statutory sex offense upon a child. He is currently in jail in Rowan County, which is north of Charlotte, without bond. Investigators have since discovered online messages in which Austin allegedly made plans to pick the teenager up and take them from their home. So creepy… And even more illegal.

The outlet reports he has been the owner of a Chick-fil-A franchise in St. Clairsville, Ohio for more than four years. When asked about the arrest, a Chick-fil-A spokesperson told WTRF News:

“We have zero tolerance for the type of serious conduct alleged. Stacy Austin currently is an independent franchise owner, but as the investigation and legal process continues, he will not be present in the restaurant.”

Looks like he will be losing that franchise after all. For starters anyway. See more (below):

So despicable. Ugh.

If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.

[Image via Rowan County Sheriff’s Office/CNBC/YouTube]