Charles E. Cummings

A hotel manager in Newport faces harassment charges after surveillance video surfaced showing him grab a female employee's face while he scolds her work performance, police and the woman said Friday.

The employee, Alexandra McMillin, 22, said she decided to post video to Facebook of her May 29 encounter with Charles E. Cummings in order to warn friends and peers about such behavior by male bosses.

The video was shared hundreds of times this week, prompting Newport police to investigate the incident.

"Men like this easily hide among society, and women finally have the means to expose them for who they are," McMillin told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

McMillin had just started her evening shift at the Comfort Inn when Cummings came out to the front desk to reprimand her, she said.

The reason? A customer had complained that she wasn't smiling enough, McMillin said.

The video shows Cummings step closer and closer toward McMillin as he appears to scold her. Suddenly, the manager grabs his employee's face and leans toward her. Cummings then quickly lets go.

"Even if he was just 'trying to get me to smile,' he went about it completely unprofessionally and shouldn't even be entering someone's personal space in that manner," McMillin said.

She filed a complaint with the Comfort Inn owners and was moved to a different motel in the area, she said. McMillin added she believes Cummings still has his job.

Police said they served Cummings with a harassment citation at his home Thursday.

Cummings did not respond to a phone call seeking comment. Nor did a representative for the Comfort Inn.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

skavanaugh@oregonian.com

503-294-7632 || @shanedkavanaugh