Restaurant involved in Jackson Mahomes sexual battery case reportedly closes
Aspens Restaurant and Lounge, the Kansas City-area restaurant where Jackson Mahomes is accused of shoving a waiter and forcibly kissing the owner, is closing five months after the alleged incident, according to the Kansas City Star.
Mahomes, the brother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was arrested in May on three counts of aggravated sexual battery and a fourth count of battery. In an incident captured on surveillance video, he was seen grabbing Aspen Vaughn by the neck and kissing her for several seconds after he reportedly asked to speak with her about allegedly shoving a 19-year-old waiter.
An administrative employee told the Star on Tuesday that the location of the restaurant is now available for lease.
In the time since Mahomes was charged, Vaughn has claimed that her restaurant saw a 75% drop in business and that she now feels unsafe:
“I feel like definitely, since it’s occurred, my safety is definitely at risk,” she told The Star. “I’m feeling attacked by people I’ve never met. Why do victims not come forward? It’s because this is how they get treated.”
She told Fox 4 in July that she regrets the police involvement. The article notes that court documents say the father of the waiter originally called the police, and the matter reportedly became more serious when Vaughn was interviewed.
“We’ve had gas pipes cut. We’ve had the AC pipes cut from the outside, you know — you name it — it’s pretty much happened,” Vaughn said
It's unclear if Vaughn has taken any additional action over these alleged attacks on her restaurant.
When asked if she would've called the police herself that evening, she said she wouldn't have and that the situation was blown out of proportion. Jennifer Thomas, the restaurant manager that evening, also said she didn't think it was necessary.
Mahomes' attorney, Brandan Davies, maintained that his client "did nothing wrong" after the arrest and claimed to have unearthed exonerating evidence over the claims:
“Our investigation has revealed substantial evidence refuting the claims of Jackson’s accuser including the statements of several witnesses. We have reached out to law enforcement to provide the fruit of our investigation so that they may have a complete picture of the matter.”
The case has since been placed under seal, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for late August, per KMBC.
