The former owner of a Carbon County convenience store was placed in a special probation program on charges of indecent assault and harassment.

Bhaskarbhai Patel, 51, of Ben Salem, was placed in the county's Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition probation program on the recommendation of the district attorney's office.Patel was charged by state police at Lehighton for an incident on June 4, 2013, at Pappy's General Store in Bowmanstown, which he owned at the time. The business is now under new ownership.Troopers said the female victim entered the store at 4:26 p.m. to purchase a pack of cigarettes. After purchasing the cigarettes, Patel began to give her change, then walked out from behind the counter to give the victim her change back. Upon doing so, he proceeded to place his arm around her, attempted to kiss her and then grabbed her upper area with his right hand.Patel followed the victim to her vehicle, where he proceeded to speak with a passenger in the vehicle. The victim then reported the incident to state police on the same day.The arrest report indicated when Patel was interviewed by troopers Erin Snyder and Joseph Campbell, he denied intentionally touching the victim, and, instead, said that he was giving the victim a hug and may have accidentally touched her upper area, but denied "cupping" or "squeezing" her upper area.Troopers observed surveillance cameras located in the store. Patel told them they were not working, but it was later learned that they were working at the time of the incident.On June 7 when Patel arrived at the barracks to give a written statement, his son was with him and provided troopers with a copy of surveillance footage on the date of the incident. A DVD of the footage was then brought to the barracks on June 10.The footage showed the victim entering the store and purchasing cigarettes. It showed Patel providing the victim with her change. He then pulled the change back and came out from behind the counter and put his arm around the victim's shoulders and attempted to kiss her.While attempting to kiss the victim, Patel put his right hand on her upper area and squeezed it. During the entire interaction with Patel, the victim was clearly attempting to get away from him, the police report stated.The case had eight continuances before an agreement was reached. As is the case with such cases, the victim agreed to the ARD placement.The charges were dismissed in December 2013 when the victim failed to show up for a preliminary hearing before District Judge William Kissner of Palmerton. The commonwealth later refiled the charges and Patel eventually waived his right to the hearing and had it certified to the county court.President Judge Roger N. Nanovic accepted the recommendation and placed Patel in the program for a year and ordered he pay a $500 fee for the cost of the program.The store, located at 600 White St., is now run by Kedar Kankia, who took over ownership on Sept. 13, 2013. Kankia was not involved in the operation or ownership of the store at the time of the incident.