Alleged victim in Jackson Mahomes case closes restaurant

Mar 10, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes I! (right) watches the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets with his brother Jackson Mahomes (left) at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson Mahomes is facing several charges over an alleged incident at a restaurant in Kansas back in February, and that restaurant has now closed.

Mahomes, the younger brother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was arrested on May 3 and charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery. The charges stem from allegations that were made by Aspen Vaughn, the 40-year-old owner of Aspens Restaurant and Lounge in Overland Park, Kansas. Vaughn accused Mahomes of grabbing her by the throat and kissing her twice in her office, leaving a faint bruise on her neck. Mahomes also allegedly shoved a 19-year-old waiter multiple times.

Stephanie Lopez, an administrative employee at Aspens Restaurant, told The Kansas City Star on Tuesday that the restaurant is now closed and available for lease. Lopez said business rapidly declined after the Mahomes incident.

“It’s hard to own a company and go through everything that we’ve gone through,” Lopez said. “We were so close to making it, and then this whole thing happened.”

In an interview with FOX4’s Malik Jackson last month, Vaughn said the months since the alleged Feb. 25 incident have been “exhausting” and that she wanted things to “just go back to normal.” Vaughn said the restaurant had lost roughly 75% of its business since Mahomes was arrested and that people had vandalized the business.

“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.

Vaughn told police months ago that Mahomes also had to be kicked out of the restaurant over a previous incident. Mahomes’ attorneys have maintained that the 23-year-old is innocent and that the surveillance footage that went viral does not provide enough context.

Mahomes is due in court on Aug. 31 for a preliminary hearing. He has made headlines for the wrong reasons on numerous occasions, including when another Kansas City-area restaurant accused him of bad behavior.