Othello Larenzo Holmes has been charged with attempted indecent assault and faces five counts of possession of child pornography after being accused of placing his genitals in meals at the restaurant where he worked.
The 27-year-old Houston resident was fired when the proprietor of Houston restaurant Kulture saw him on surveillance allegedly placing his genitals on open food items.
The restaurant said in a statement, “We took immediate action by shutting down our establishment, cleaning the entire space, discarding all existing inventory, and contacting the Police to have the employee arrested immediately. Additionally, we worked with our security team to enhance our camera systems. These actions were implemented within one hour of the incident being brought to our attention, ensuring that the matter was addressed before the business opened again.”
They added that, “The employee has been terminated, and we have taken all necessary steps to restore our normal services to the public. We strongly believe this is an isolated incident resulting from retaliatory measures due to a demotion. Most importantly, this dangerous pedophile is off the streets.”
According to People, a manager on April 5 showed officers video surveillance footage allegedly displaying Holmes placing his genitals in the food. In an interview with investigators, Holmes allegedly confirmed placing his genitalia in jelly. Holmes was taken into custody and charged with attempted indecent assault, according to court records.
As per the court records, Holmes also allegedly admitted to investigators that he “needs help” and “has a history of sexual offenses and has these urges frequently.”
Holmes had been a cook at Kulture Restaurant for a few months, a manager told KPRC2. According to Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, Holmes has worked at various restaurants in the area, and detectives believe he may have done the same thing at a hotel restaurant where he previously worked.
When Holmes permitted investigators to examine his cell phone forensically, investigators from the Harris County District Attorney’s digital forensic team said they discovered that he had more than 100 pictures and videos on the device that depicted child sex assault.
According to court files, Holmes’ phone had recordings and photographs of children “between the ages of infancy to teens engaged in sexual intercourse” and other filthy actions. Five recordings allegedly show kids under the age of ten participating in sexual behaviors.
Investigators reportedly discovered two videos on his phone that show Holmes engaged in a sexual act while a child “who appears to be under 6 years of age” is in the background.
Authorities also discovered evidence on Holmes’ phone that allegedly showed he was conversing with another user going by the handle “princess” in a Telegram chat group about these incidents of child sex assault. According to documents, he allegedly wrote, “I wish I had access to kids” on the site during a discussion.
Holmes is currently being held at the Harris County Jail, according to reports. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 6 for the possession charges and on June 12 for the attempted indecent assault allegation. His bond was set at $500,000, or $100,000 for each offense.
