A former Bethel restaurant owner accused of sexually assaulting two employees three years ago, will be heading to trial for a second time as the first trial resulted in a hung jury.
Antonio Fernandes, 52, the former co-owner of the popular eatery, Tonelli’s, will be back in Danbury Superior Court in January for another jury trial. Fernandez faces two counts of first-degree sexual assault, each count carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, according to court filings.
The first trial began in October and lasted for over a month, according to court documents. Jurors deliberated for six days before announcing the deadlock.
According to court documents, the then 20-year-old waitress he is accused of assaulting in December 2011 said Fernandes grabbed her and forced her to sit on his lap, ignoring her pleas for him to stop.
The other waitress, then 26, who had worked at the restaurant since April 2011, confided to the younger woman that she had been raped by Fernandes several months earlier, the affidavit said.
Fernandez has admitted to investigators he had sexual relations with both women, but he said they were consensual, according to the affidavit. Fernandes has no criminal history in Connecticut.
The two victims, who later became roommates, waited nearly a year to report the incidents and continued working at the restaurant until shortly before going to police in Oct. 2012, according to court documents.
The women said that they didn’t report the incidents because they were afraid of Fernandes
In April 2013, Fernandes turned himself in to police after he was aware of the charges. He was released after posting a $200,000 bond.
Tonelli’s has been under new management for more than a year and the name has been changed to Parma. Fernandez and his brother owned the building while running Tonell’s, but it unclear if they still do.