By John Chambless
Staff Writer

Olen Grimes, Jr., the popular Kennett Square businessman who regularly donated to area service charities and service organizations through his businesses – Artworks Fine Arts and My Polished Salon – reportedly passed away at his home on the evening of Oct. 10.

 Grimes, 54, of New London, reportedly died of a heart attack while working at home. He had been placed on house arrest while awaiting trial on charges that he videotaped two young teen girls in a hotel bathroom about six years ago.

The Kennett Square business community learned of the death on Tuesday morning, but a formal announcement was made on the morning of Oct. 13 during a Rotary Club of Longwood meeting. Club president Timothy Rayne announced that he had been informed of the death by Grimes' wife, Roxann.

Social media was quiet in the days after Grimes passed away, with no postings on his personal Facebook page or those for his businesses as of Thursday afternoon.

No cause of death has been determined at this point, and an autopsy is being performed, along with a toxicology report.

Grimes was a 1980 graduate of Kennett High School, and married to Roxann Grimes, with whom he ran My Polished Salon, a salon near the Artworks Gallery he owned in Kennett Square since 1999.

He was the recipient of a large outpouring of community support and donations in November 2015 after he was seriously injured in an auto accident, which prevented him from working or driving while he recuperated. Community members volunteered to work at Artworks, and cash donations were made to the family to help pay medical bills.

While he was unable to drive, Grimes called a friend and asked him to pick up a video camera that was in a drawer at Artworks. The friend kept the camera for a while and watched the video on it. The video shows Grimes hiding the camera under towels in a hotel bathroom at Montage Mountain in Moosic, Pa., before the girls, who were then ages 13 and 14, enter the room, disrobe and shower. Their naked bodies are seen on the video. Grimes was reportedly seen on the video when he returned to the closet to retrieve the camera. There are no indications that he shared the video online.

The friend informed Kennett Square Police of the contents of the video and turned it over to them.

Chester County Detective Oscar Rosado interviewed Grimes on May 12, and Grimes confessed to the crime and was arrested on June 30. His bail was originally set at $100,000 but was reduced to $15,000 on Aug. 1. He posted bail on Aug. 1. He was awaiting trial in Chester County Common Pleas Court on charges of sexual abuse of children, endangering the welfare of children and invasion of privacy.

Late last month, Grimes reportedly contacted one of the girls on the video on social media, so he was placed on home confinement and required to wear an ankle monitor and confine his travels to only necessary travel.

Grimes was a longtime member of the Kennett at Longwood Rotary Club, and made a donation each month to local charities from the money earned at his businesses.

An obituary for Grimes was posted online by Grieco Funeral Home, Inc., on Oct. 14. It reads:

Olen M. Grimes, Jr., 54, of Lincoln University, died suddenly on Oct. 10 at his home, due to a heart attack.

He was the beloved husband of Roxann Carter Grimes, with whom he shared 18 years of marriage. Born in Bridgeport, Conn., he was a son of the late Olen M. and the late Ann (Kane) Grimes. He was a 1980 graduate of Kennett High School. He served our country in the Marine Corps during peacetime.
Olen was the owner of My Polished Salon and Artworks Gallery in Kennett Square. During his years in business, he gained a vast knowledge of local well-known artists and their works, including Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Sebastian Upson, Rea Redifer and Richard Bollinger, to name just a few. He was a longtime faithful member of the Longwood Rotary Club where he donated his time and treasure to local initiatives each year. In earlier years, Olen was a member of the Unionville/Chaddsford JCs, and the Kennett Fire Company. He was once an EMT, and successful car salesman at the former Garnet Ford in Kennett. He once enjoyed logging, was a disc jockey, and loved hunting, fishing and reading. Olen loved the town of Kennett Square, where he worked and gave selflessly for many years. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him and he will not soon be forgotten.

Survivors include, in addition to his wife Roxann, a stepson; four brothers, John, Carl, William and Michael; five sisters, Kathy, Ann, Vergia, Margaret and Vickie; and two grandchildren.

A visitation with family and friends will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Oct. 29 at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home, Inc. (250 W. State St., Kennett Square). A service in celebration of his life will follow at noon. Interment will be held privately. Contributions in his memory may be made to Kennett Area Community Service, or KACS, PO Box 1025, Kennett Square, PA 19348. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www.griecocares.com.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].