CHARLOTTE — A man arrested earlier this month for allegedly raping a woman inside a University City vape shop is speaking out after a grand jury failed to indict him on Tuesday.
Yasir Khater was accused of sexually assaulting a college student at a vape shop he was working at earlier this month.
Khater was charged with second-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping.
However, according to court records, a Mecklenburg County grand jury did not return a true bill of indictment, meaning jurors determined there was not enough evidence to move forward with the case.
Khater was released from jail Thursday.
“I’m glad I’m outside; I have my family, yes, I love everybody give me respect yes,” Khater told Channel 9.
Because of a language barrier, Khater’s girlfriend helped him through the interview on the phone.
“Did you commit any kind of crime, did you abuse that girl in any way,” Channel 9’s Glenn Counts asked.
“No, no,” Khater said.
In court documents, detectives asked multiple times if he had any type of sexual contact with her. Khater denied having sex with her every time, stating the only time they touched was during a hug.
His girlfriend clearly believes him.
“So tell me what kind of person is he,” she said. “He’ll give you the shirt off his back. Yasir is a wonderful person. I’m just glad he’s out; we already knew that he was innocent, that was it.”
Khater was fired from his job at the smoke shop, and he hopes to return to a normal life.
“God Bless America,” Khater said.
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