OSU food service workers learn sexual predator working near kids

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Employees from Oregon State University have learned a sexual predator is working on campus and serving food to hundreds of their children.

Christopher Wayne Wacek, 39, is listed on the Oregon State Police Sex Offender website as a sexual predator. He works at the school’s Arnold Center Food Service. It's not just college students who eat there, but kids as young as 8 years old, as well.

Food service workers, who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation by the school, said Wacek has been working alongside them at OSU since 2006.

They started looking into his background when they noticed Wacek, who is a cook at Arnold Center Food Service, showed a special interest in serving children. They said students and children both expressed how Wacek made them feel uncomfortable.

That's when they found Wacek's a sexual predator who sodomized a 5-year-old girl for five years until she was 10. And, they said, Wacek always rushes to serve children food, including children from local schools, camps on campus and children from the OSU employee daycare.

"His job is to be in the back and prepping food and cooking. He's not a server. They have students who do that," said one worker who also said Wacek makes it a point to come out whenever he sees children.

One employee in particular was appalled when she learned Wacek's criminal history.

"It upsets me a lot," she said. "And the reason I am fighting is because I am a victim of this type of abuse when I was five and no one listened to me. And no one helped me."

Employees said after workers reported Wacek's background to food service managers, they were told not to worry because Wacek's a "nice guy."

A spokesman for the school and an Arnold Center manager said Wacek is always supervised when kids are near him. But the workers said that's not true.

University spokesman Steve Clark said OSU Human Resources is investigating whether Wacek was supervised when he came into contact with children. He said administrators are now making sure there is always a manager with Wacek when children are nearby. Additionally, the school did a background check on Wacek and still hired him.

Clark said state law does not allow OSU to not hire a job applicant solely because they are a registered sexual predator.

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