Goodwill store worker accused of inappropriately touching child

William Chatel held at Orange County Jail

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A worker at a Goodwill Industries retail store was arrested and now faces accusations of inappropriately touching a child while the family shopped.

Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Office said the incident happened Saturday night at the Goodwill located at the corner of Curry Ford and Goldenrod roads.

Parents told investigators they watched as William Chatel, 64, stood in back of their child, pressing his body against the child's body.

When he walked away, they said, they saw Chatel touch the child's buttocks.

The parents called deputies, who arrested Chatel.

"That is very scary," one shopper said. "I have a child and we go to the store a lot."

She said she recognized Chatel as a worker who always greeted her with a smile.

"He's very friendly," she said. "He's always ready to help if you have a question. He's always saying hi to the kids, so that's kind of scary to me -- especially because I have a child."

News 6 found out investigators are lacking a key piece of evidence in their case.

Workers at the store told them none of their surveillance cameras were working at the time of the incident, so they didn't catch anything.

Goodwill Industries gave News 6 a written statement, saying in part, "We are investigating this matter internally and taking steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future."

Goodwill spokeswoman Mary Tindall said Chatel was not an employee at the Goodwill location, but working as part of a program though an outside agency.

Chatel is being held at the Orange County Jail without the option to post bail.

Chatel's attorney told a judge he's going to try to get that changed, but it would be at least a week before a hearing could be held.​


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.