File photo of a Costco location.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A Bay Area man used free samples as a ruse to sexually assault employees at a Mendocino County Costco store, authorities said. Timothy Scott McIlvain, 55, was convicted by a jury in October of last year and is now a registered sex offender.
According to a police report, McIlvain drove 30 miles north to the Costco store in Ukiah on May 30, 2024, and grabbed a female employee serving samples without her consent. He then attempted to expose himself to another employee before being confronted.
When Ukiah Police Department officers arrived at the store at around 5:35 p.m., they were informed that a male customer had inappropriately touched a female employee. McIlvain was standing in the self-checkout line and would not speak to the officers, who were unsure if he was deaf or refusing to communicate.
The officers placed McIlvain in handcuffs and escorted him out of the store, where he continued to yell as they removed him from the scene.
In a police interview, a Costco employee described how McIlvain approached her at a sample station, stood in front of her, and made her feel uneasy. She recognized him from a week or two earlier, when he had displayed similar behavior.
McIlvain allegedly grabbed the employee’s vagina outside her clothes, remaining silent throughout the assault. He then walked away. The employee told the police that she was trying to be friendly and not upset him.
The report also details McIlvain’s actions with another female employee, who he approached, acted “kind of flirty,” and said, “That ain’t no keys in my pocket,” before moving to pull down his shorts.
McIlvain was arrested and booked into the Mendocino County Jail on charges of misdemeanor sexual battery, misdemeanor attempted indecent exposure, and misdemeanor resisting a peace officer.
A Mendocino County jury convicted him in October, and he was sentenced to 12 months of formal probation and required to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Despite an assessment deeming him highly likely to reoffend, he was not sentenced to any time behind bars. He is currently incarcerated in the Mendocino County Jail on another charge and has filed an appeal.
