Mr. Gatti’s Pizza accused of retaining sex offender employee

The management of pizza restaurant and arcade, Mr. Gatti’s Pizza, has been accused of failing to terminate employee George Allen Stepp, who is a registered sex offender. The restaurant, located at 100 McMillan Dr., is near the back edge of Wofford’s campus.

The accusations originate from a Facebook user whose name is given as Joe Roll. Roll claims to have worked with his wife a while ago at the restaurant alongside Stepp.

According to Roll in his post from Aug. 29, after he had left the restaurant, his wife found out that Stepp was a registered sex offender. She and her co-workers allegedly brought the information to management and the owners, who stated that “they have launched an investigation to look into it.” Roll claims that this happened a few months ago, and that Stepp continues to work at the establishment. His wife has since quit.

An article by WYFF News 4 from Jan. 27, 2012, titled “Man Raped Mentally Disabled Teen,” reports on the incident that placed Stepp on the registry. According to the article, Stepp, now 49, was accused of raping “a 19-year-old mentally disabled neighbor.” The Spartanburg Sheriff’s Office investigators declared the woman “[did] not have the mental capacity to consent.”

The sex offender registry lists Stepp as a white male with hazel eyes and brown hair. He stands at 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 240 lbs.

Roll finished his initial post by telling viewers to “keep [their] family safe.” In further comments and posts by Roll, he claimed that the new owners of the establishment contacted him to state that the accusations are false, and that Stepp no longer works there. Roll claimed the owners were lying.

Roll also posted a follow-up post on Aug. 30 of a conversation with a viewer of his initial post, who appeared to message him and accuse him of “putting the restaurant on blast” and going “after him.” Roll replied to this person, stating that they appeared to be defending a rapist, and later commented underneath his own post that he felt Stepp should not be working at a place that markets to children. Roll also claims in the conversation that Stepp cannot legally work with children because he is still on the registry list.

Roll’s initial post has acquired 60 reactions as of Sept. 7, with reactions ranging from “wow” to “angry.” Roll limited commenting on his initial post.

The nature of the assault that placed Stepp on the sex offender registry, particularly the victim’s age, makes these accusations useful information for Wofford women when choosing a restaurant for a meal out.