Relationship between Savannah Gold, manager violated Bonefish policy

The company that owns Bonefish Grill in Jacksonville said that if a 21-year-old server and the manager suspected of killing her dated, they should not have been working at the same location.

Lee Rodarte, 28, is accused of killing Savannah Gold and disposing of her body on the Westside.

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Gold's parents say their daughter and Rodarte dated, and friends say they had an on-again, off-again relationship.

A company spokesperson said relationships between managers and hourly employees violate company policy and are strictly forbidden.

Company policy dictates that because of the relationship, Rodarte or Gold should have been relocated -- or Rodarte should have been fired.

“According to policy, whenever a relationship is disclosed, we transfer one of the two employees to ensure there is not a reporting relationship. When we discover an undisclosed relationship, we terminate the manager,” the company said in a statement.

According to police, Gold drove to work last Wednesday and got into Rodarte's car in the Bonefish Grill parking lot.

RELATED: Savannah Gold murder suspect showed 'remorse' during calls from jail, ex-girlfriend says

Police said surveillance video shows the two seemed to have a struggle, then Rodarte got out and cut one of the tires on Gold's car.

Rodarte is being held on charges of murder and tampering with evidence. Autopsy results have not been released and it's still unclear how Gold was killed.

Full statement from Bloomin brands:

"Generally speaking, all managers are trained on our policy concerning romantic relationships between supervisors and subordinates. They learn about it initially during manager training, and regularly complete online and live training. Hourly employees are also trained on this policy. We investigate all allegations of relationships that violate our policy. Whenever a relationship is disclosed, we transfer one of the two employees to ensure there is not a reporting relationship. When we discover an undisclosed relationship, we terminate the manager."

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