


The woman who accused Jackson Mahomes of sexual assault has closed her restaurant after a sharp decline in sales and a series of other threats and harassment.
Aspen Vaughn, the owner of Aspens Restaurant and Lounge outside Kansas City, accused Mahomes, the younger brother of stars Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, of attempting to forcibly kiss her and grabbing her by the throat at her restaurant this past February.
Aspens Restaurant has permanently closed, the Kansas City Star reported on Tuesday.
“It’s hard to own a company and go through everything that we’ve gone through,” Stephanie Lopez, an administrative employee of the restaurant, told the outlet. “We were so close to making it, and then this whole thing happened.”
Last month, Vaughn told the Star that her sales had declined by 75 percent after the accusations became public, and that she suspected someone vandalized the restaurant by cutting its air conditioning connections, damaging natural gas lines and causing water damage by pulling the fire alarm.
“I feel like definitely, since it’s occurred, my safety is definitely at risk,” Vaughn said. “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.”
Jackson Mahomes, 23, was arrested in May and charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery in connection with the incident.
Through an attorney, he denied wrongdoing.
“Jackson has done nothing wrong,” the attorney said. “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.”
Speaking at OTAs in May, Patrick Mahomes did not want to delve into the details of his brother’s legal issues.
“Honestly, it’s kind of a personal thing that I just kind of gotta keep to myself,” the quarterback told reporters.
“At the end of the day, I come here to play football and try to take care of my family at the same time. So just kind of keep it to myself and just go out there and play football when I’m in the building.”