STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A man found guilty of raping a teenage co-worker at a Jimmy John’s sub shop in Sterling Heights has been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.
Jerome Brown-Pegues, 36, stood trial for the August 2020 sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl inside the Jimmy John’s restaurant at 16 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights.
Brown-Pegues was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a second-offense notice. The trial lasted four days and the jury returned in 30 minutes with a guilty verdict.
Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Julie Gatti sentenced Jerome Brown-Pegues on Wednesday, July 12, to the maximum sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison.
“If I were to impose any lesser sentence, I would not be doing my job of protecting the public,” Gatti said.
The girl and her family filed a lawsuit against Jimmy John’s in December 2020. They said the owner of the shop kept Brown-Pegues on staff despite knowing he was a convicted sex offender.