Couple files lawsuit against owners, employees of Akron Fright Fest

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - The couple who says they were assaulted and subjected to a “mock rape" scene at Akron Fright Fest has now filed a lawsuit against the owners and employees of the haunted attraction.

The civil suit for assault and negligent employee handlings, which lists Ryan Carr and Sarah Lelonek as plantiffs, was filed in the Summit County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday. Managing partner Jeremy Caudill and eight other “owners, employees, and agents of Akron Fright Fest” are listed as the defendants.

“Mr. Carr was subjected to simulated rape, and both he and Ms. Lelonek were roughly grabbed, pushed, and shoved with such force that they suffered physical injuries.”

The haunted house where these accusations allegedly occurred on Oct. 13 required a waiver to enter, but Carr and Lelonek says they never signed one.

Caudill says he was “shocked and appalled” after hearing of the behavior and fired several employees who were involved in the incident.

Other allegations listed on the legal complaint include:

"... an employee (hereafter “John Doe No. 1”) ordered Ms. Lelonek to “get on all fours.”'
“John Doe No. 1 shoved her into a plywood wall, with enough force to cause the plywood to shake. He again told her to get on all fours.”
"Mr. Carr got stuck at a dead end. An employee stated to him, “You can get through if you lick my nipples.”'
"An employee told Ms. Lelonek that she could hold one of the rats if she “lick[ed] its butthole.”'
“John Doe No. 3, who was standing over Mr. Carr on the plywood bed, began thrusting against Mr. Carr’s body.”

A statement from the attraction’s operating company, Melanie Lake Inc., on Oct. 25 announced the closing of Akron Fright Fest because of “current circumstances and family matters.” Caudill’s wife died shortly after, according to an obituary shared on Facebook.

The allegations prompted a criminal investigation by the Springfield Township Police Department. Those findings have not been released yet.