'He grabs me and freakin' kisses me': Top Kansas GOP official accused of battery by colleague

According to a report from the Kansas City Star, a Wyandotte County GOP vice chair has filed battery charges against the chair of the Johnson County GOP committee after he reportedly grabbed her and forcefully kissed her during a break at a pro-life event.

The report states that Stephanie Cashion came to the Star to tell her story after filing the report, telling the editors that she and Fabian Shepard had stepped out of the conference when, she claims, he suddenly grabbed her.

"He turns the corner and he grabs me and he freakin' kisses me," she explained before adding that his sudden actions made her freeze before pushing him away.

According to Cashion, after the first kiss, Shepard stated, "Well, that was weird. That wasn't a good kiss. You wouldn't even look me in my eyes. Am I a bad kisser or something?"

While Shepard has denied the allegations, another attendee at the gathering, GOP activist Duane Beth, stated she ran into Cashion when she returned and could tell something was amiss.

"She looked scared and quiet and upset when I saw her, when she walked in the door," Beth recalled adding that later in the evening Cashion burst into tears and confided what had occurred before exclaiming, "I can't believe he stuck his f*cking tongue down my throat."

The Star reports that Kansas GOP Chairman Mike Kuckelman said the incident should be looked into by law enforcement, with Beth stating, "the state party chair didn't seem to take Cashion's claim seriously enough to take action. Beth says Kuckelman told him that Shepard had vehemently denied the incident, and claimed that it was Cashion who had kissed him at a previous Chamber of Commerce event in Kansas City, Kansas."

According to the Star's editors, "The Kansas Republican Party needs to take this allegation seriously. And despite his protestations, Kuckelman could do more about it. He could interview the parties and witnesses in much more depth and try harder to get at the truth," before adding, "The idea that it should be left to law enforcement to vet Cashion's claims that Shepard forcibly kissed her is made ridiculous by the fact that even the most serious sex crimes are rarely prosecuted unless and until they involve a homicide. Fewer than 1% of rapes lead to a felony conviction."

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