Kentucky frozen yogurt shop's connection to Salem sex offender draws ire
A Salem sex offender's connection to a Kentucky frozen yogurt shop drew local ire there, and he faced sanctions here for his out-of-state travel in violation of the terms of his probation.
The owner of the Madisonville, Kentucky, yogurt shop called Below Zero Frozen Yogurt denied any current connection to the man.
Alvaro Olivarez, 40, the former manager of Frozation Nation in downtown Salem, was convicted in September 2023 of third-degree sexual abuse. He was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Olivarez was arrested in 2022 on charges of third-degree sexual abuse and two felony counts of second-degree sexual abuse. He was accused of groping and having nonconsensual sexual intercourse with a teen girl on multiple occasions.
Olivarez also was accused of contempt of court for trying to contact the victim after his arrest, violating his release agreement.
He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor count of sexual abuse and was sentenced by Marion County Judge Sean Armstrong. The remaining charges against him were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Armstrong ordered Olivarez to register as a sex offender. Conditions of his probation included sex offender treatment and a requirement to not frequent areas intended for children such as playgrounds, parks and schools.
He also was required to "remain in the State of Oregon until written permission to leave is granted by the Department of Corrections or a county community corrections agency," according to court documents.
Olivarez was a manager of the LLC that owns Frozation Nation, Top Notch Toppings LLC, from 2017 to 2022. He is not listed on the LLC's amended report for 2023.
Alvaro and Christina Olivarez were originally listed as owners on Oregon secretary of state business filing forms.
The listed owner of Top Notch is now solely Christina Olivarez.
It is unclear whether the Olivarezs were married, but Christina changed her last name to Olivarez in 2011.
According to tax and property records, both Olivarezs live in Madisonville, Kentucky.
Late last year, Christina Olivarez created an LLC called Top This Froyo Shop.
A filing with the Kentucky secretary of state lists the business address in Madisonville. The address matches the location of Below Zero Frozen Yogurt, which opened in March.
An announcement of the business opening drew outrage on social media. Commenters connected Christina Olivarez to Alvaro Olivarez's conviction in Oregon. Some were angry that Alvaro Olivarez didn't register as a sex offender in Kentucky and was working at the shop.
Posters encouraged people to avoid taking their children to the shop.
When contacted at the Kentucky yogurt shop, Christina said she had not been with Alvaro Olivarez in three years. She said he lived in Oregon, hadn't been to Kentucky and was not connected to her business.
Meanwhile, in Oregon, Alvaro Olivarez's probation officer received a call from a detective with the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky.
The detective reported he was in contact with Alvaro Olivarez while he was in Kentucky.
When contacted by his probation officer, Olivarez said he had been working in Bend and was not out of state, according to a Marion County Sheriff's Office violation reporting form.
When Olivarez reported to the probation officer on Jan. 31, the officer confronted him. He admitted to traveling to Kentucky for two weeks.
His probation officer reported that Olivarez had violated the conditions of his parole by not remaining in Oregon and not answering questions truthfully. He recommended that Olivarez complete 20 days of reporting beginning Feb. 1. The Marion County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that Olivarez is currently compliant with his probation.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Kentucky shop's connection to Oregon sex offender draws ire
