Suspect Yasir Khater charged with raping woman in North Carolina smoke shop

A man has been accused of raping a woman at a smoke shop in Charlotte, North Carolina. Yasir Khater, 44, a contracted employee at the Arbor Smoke Shop on East Arbors Drive, allegedly dragged the female customer to the back of the store, forced her onto a chair, and raped her.

Khater was arrested and charged on May 7 with second-degree forcible rape and first-degree kidnapping. He is being held without bond at the Mecklenburg County Jail. The incident occurred on May 6 around 10:30 am, per WCNC.

The incident has left the young female traumatized, according to the victim's mother, who has since urged the community to stay vigilant. "She did not know him, had no idea who he was. She's just a young lady who went in there to try and make a purchase, and she was taken advantage of," the unnamed mother told Channel 9 local news.

"No mother wants to see their child hurting like that; it's been super hard," she said, adding that her daughter "is devastated."

Police said that Khater denied sexually assaulting the female customer. Investigators took DNA samples and other evidence at the scene. Officers allegedly found physical evidence contradicting Khater's story, authorities said.

Musab Mohammed, the store's owner, said he was out of town when the attack occurred. He fired Khater immediately. Mohammed disclosed that Khater was hired as a handyman. "He was a friend of us," the owner told the network. "He was doing like handwork for us in the store. If you need any kind of handwork. At that time, I was asking him to go check something on the roof."

Khater is scheduled to appear in court on May 28.