A Kansas City, Kansas man is accused of holding his ex-girlfriend against her will and raping her on Christmas.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office charged Shaun Bright, 36, with aggravated kidnapping, rape, aggravated battery and criminal threat.
The attack allegedly occurred in one of the rooms of the Motel Six near I-35 and 95th Street.
Bright’s father, Edgar Bright, told 41 Action News his son has a history of abusing his girlfriends.
The most recent one feared for her safety when the 36-year-old threatened her. The father, trying to protect the woman, put her up at the Motel Six.
But Bright eventually found out where she was staying and allegedly raped and assaulted the woman for nine hours early Christmas morning.
The victim was treated at a hospital and released.
By the time Lenexa police arrived Bright was long gone prompting a manhunt. The dad said over the phone law enforcement eventually spoke with Bright’s mother who convinced her son to turn himself in.
“I didn't think he was that kind a guy. In fact him and his girlfriend both have been over here before and I never noticed anything out of the ordinary so it’s disturbing,” Gerald Atkins, a neighbor, said.
That feeling is shared among the neighbors in the KCK cul-de-sac where Bright lives with his grandparents.
Some neighbors described Bright as a nice guy who helped with odd jobs. Bright has had previous run-ins with the law, including a conviction for a 2008 burglary charge in Wyandotte County.
On Thursday, a Johnson County judge entered a not guilty plea on Bright’s behalf.
Bright asked the judge to reduce the $150,000 bond he faces but the court decided to take that up at the next hearing set for Jan. 5 at 9 a.m.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
