Teen suing Sterling Heights Jimmy John’s store says she was raped by former co-worker

Documents say owner was aware of the co-worker’s prior sexual assault conviction

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A 17-year-old and her family are suing the franchise of a Sterling Heights Jimmy John’s store after the teen said she was raped by a former employee.

The teen, who has a disability, said that in August, Jerry Brown-Pegues forced her into a storage room and assaulted her.

Documents show that the owner -- Turner Services Group in Clinton Township -- was aware of Brown-Pegues’ prior sexual assault crime and kept him on staff.

“If I knew somebody who was going to be around women with a previous criminal sexual misconduct conviction, I wouldn’t hire them, and if they were already hired, I probably would fire them on the spot,” said attorney Ven Johnson, who is representing the teen.

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Brown-Pegues was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a woman at a Michigan Work office in Troy in 2017. He served time in prison, was out on parole and got a job as a delivery driver at the Jimmy John’s store.

Documents obtained by Local 4 Defenders show that the store owner discussed Brown-Pegues’ prior conviction with the human resources department when he applied for a manager’s position. However, despite safety concerns, he remained working there.

Employees then complained about his alleged sexually explicit behavior with them.

Internal emails from Turner Services showed its response to the lawsuit -- showing 66 days had passed from when it discussed Brown-Pegues’ conviction and employment risk to when the teen was attacked.

“They left him there and a month and a half later, he raped my client,” Johnson said. “It’s so despicable.”

Brown-Pegues’ parole was revoked after police investigated and he was sent back to prison. On Friday, attorneys for Turner Services said they are reviewing the case and declined to comment.

Watch the full report in the video posted above.

View more: Macomb County news


About the Authors:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

DeJanay Booth joined WDIV as a web producer in July 2020. She previously worked as a news reporter in New Mexico before moving back to Michigan.