Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee has been accused of inappropriately touching and making lewd comments toward a hotel shuttle driver while in Buffalo for the NHL’s scouting combine.
Lee was on Friday charged with second-degree harassment after being arrested and spending the night in jail.
He appeared in court, where his Canadian passport was confiscated, and was scheduled to appear again on Monday.
Lee faces a fine and up to 15 days in jail, although Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said he does not expect to pursue jail time.
The Senators said in a statement that team officials knew of the arraignment and were reviewing the situation.
It was unclear whether Lee has an attorney. He did not appear with an attorney at his arraignment and is no longer staying at the hotel where the alleged incident happened.
Lee was attending an NHL function on Wednesday night as part of the league’s predraft scouting combine in Buffalo when he requested a shuttle to transport him back to his hotel, Flynn said.
Lee first asked the 19-year-old male driver if he could sit in the front seat of the van, and then made lewd comments while placing his hands on the driver’s shoulders, Flynn said.
When the driver told him to stop, Lee persisted and began rubbing the man’s shoulders, Flynn added.
As they arrived at the hotel about 10 minutes later, “Lee allegedly made a reference to his own private parts and made a vulgar, lewd statement,” Flynn said. “The driver was obviously shaken by this.”
The man immediately reported what happened to the hotel’s security chief, Flynn said.
Lee is barred from going to the hotel and having any interaction with the driver.
Flynn said he was not aware of any alcohol being involved.
“I’ve got a 19-year-old victim here who probably thinks it’s a cool thing to get an assistant general manager of a hockey team in a car,” Flynn said. “What’s not cool is what happened. And that’s why Mr Lee is going to have to answer for his uncool behavior.”
Lee is responsible for overseeing the Senators’ American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville, Ontario, and developing the team’s prospects.
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