June 22, 2016
Source/crowandthepitcher.com
Restaurateur Alex Capasso, seen in the kitchen at Crow & the Pitcher in Center City.
High-profile chef Alex Capasso wants to return home to Collingswood, Camden County, while he awaits trial on charges he molested a 5-year-old girl, the daughter of a former girlfriend.
Before his arrest last July, which derailed his culinary career, Capasso, 42, was known for operating the Rittenhouse Square restaurant Crow & the Pitcher.
He also formerly owned the restaurants Blackbird Dining Establishment, West Side Gravy and Benny's Burger Joint, all in Collingswood. Capasso trained at Brasserie Perrier and worked at New Jersey spots, such as Max's and Misto, before opening his own locations.
He is seeking to be in detention at the home of his parents, who are Collingswood residents, while he awaits his court. He’s currently is being held at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.
In a request for a hearing filed Monday, his lawyer, Gil Scutti, argued Capasso “is prepared to show that he is not a danger to the community, but instead his current community poses a substantial danger to him," according to the Courier-Post.
Capasso allegedly recorded the abuse of the child and provided the images to an undercover investigator.
Scutti did not immediately respond to a call for comment from PhillyVoice on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, he told the Courier-Post that Capasso has agreed to “location monitoring, restricted computer access” and oversight by his parents, Richard and Bonita Williams.
The lawyer also said the Williamses have agreed to “24-hour-a-day supervision of their son if he is released and permitted to reside with them,"
A hearing on the request is set for July 11 in federal court in Camden.
