By DIANTÉ MARIGNY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
The Port Isabel store manager accused earlier this year of sexually harassing a former employee has now been arrested on a sexual assault charge, according to Port Isabel Police Chief Robert Lopez.
Thomas Nolan Bainter was arrested on October 24, 2025, on a charge of sexual assault. He bonded out the same day on a $20,000 bond. Bainter is a manager at the Simply Bueno store — formerly known as Simply Goods — which changed its name shortly after the allegations first came to light.
The woman who originally spoke to the PRESS about her experiences said the arrest brought a sense of validation.
“I feel good about it! Me and my family were all happy… we thought he was going to get away with it. Even my old coworkers were happy,” she said.
In the original report published by the PRESS, the former employee alleged that Bainter made repeated sexual advances, threatened her job when she refused, and touched her without consent. She provided screenshots of text messages that appeared to show Bainter linking her employment to sexual favors.
She said her refusal to engage in a sexual relationship ultimately led to her termination. The woman filed a police report with Port Isabel Police Department shortly after leaving the job.
Months earlier, when the initial allegations surfaced online, the manager strongly denied every claim in a phone interview with the PRESS. He said he wanted the community to know that the accusations were false, telling the newspaper, “I don’t need a lawyer because I didn’t do anything.” He insisted the former employee was terminated by human resources only after her probationary period ended, adding, “This was a young lady that HR — not me — fired because she was late 18 days and left early 22 days. She lied on her application… she just wasn’t worth it.”
He also rejected screenshots of alleged text messages tying her employment to sexual favors, calling them fabricated: “None of them happened… they were all made up.” The manager claimed the woman was retaliating for being fired and said the accusations damaged his standing in the community. “The whole thing’s a joke — but it’s not a joke to me, because it hurt my reputation,” he told the PRESS. “People that know me know that none of that’s true.”
The store has since undergone a name change, reopening as Simply Bueno.
The sexual assault charge is now moving forward in the criminal justice system. A court date is unknown at this time. Bainter is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
All parties are innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.
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