Former Oakdale pizza parlor owner will not face charges in sexual assault accusations

Prosecutors have decided not to file criminal charges against a former Oakdale pizza parlor owner arrested in October on suspicion of sexually assaulting one of his employees.

Jura Aghassi initially was accused of forced oral copulation and forced sexual penetration with a foreign object. At the time of his arrest, he was the owner of Jura’s Pizza Parlor. The Oakdale eatery on Yosemite Avenue has since closed.

The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office reviewed it and chose not proceed with the case against Aghassi. “We did not think we could prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Deputy District Attorney Merrill Hoult.

Kirk McAllister, Aghassi’s attorney, said his client maintained his innocence from the outset of the investigation.

The woman who made the allegations against the eatery owner filed a petition seeking a restraining order against Aghassi on Sept. 23, about a month before he was arrested. That case was dismissed Jan. 15 because of a lack of prosecution.

McAllister said the woman failed to show up in court and produce evidence supporting the request for a restraining order. The defense attorney said he told prosecutors about the woman’s failure to appear in civil court. “That, in my opinion, tells a lot,” he said.

Aghassi was arrested Oct. 20 in Turlock at the Jura’s Pizza Parlor his father named after him 35 years ago. His sister is the sole owner of the Turlock business; for about five months Aghassi owned a Jura’s in Oakdale, where the sexual assault was claimed to have occurred during business hours the evening of Sept. 13.

Oakdale police have said the arrest was made after a monthlong investigation that included interviews with other employees and a search of Aghassi’s Turlock home.

The Oakdale eatery closed in September, shortly after police detectives questioned Aghassi about the allegations. His sister has said business was slow in Oakdale, and that the eatery’s closing had nothing to do with the police investigation.

This story was originally published May 21, 2015 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Former Oakdale pizza parlor owner will not face charges in sexual assault accusations."