The Owensboro Police Department is investigating after allegations of at least one woman being roofied at a bar in downtown Owensboro.
The woman said in a Facebook post on Friday that the incident happened two weeks ago, and that she was only at the bar for an hour. The woman said she made it home safely with the help of a friend, but said she went to the hospital the next day and was tested for Rohypnol. According to her post, other women have had similar experiences.
OPD told Owensboro Times:
“We are aware of the post circulating on social media, we received one report this past weekend. Our detectives are currently looking into the facts behind this incident. Anyone that believes they have been involved in a similar situation can reach out to the Owensboro Police Department to make a report.
We will not be commenting any further on an open investigation.”
“Being roofied” is a common term for being dosed with Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) or a similar drug. It’s known as a date rape drug, although in this specific incident the woman made no claims related to being a victim of sexual assault.
The woman claimed the incident occurred at Brasher’s Lil’ Nashville in downtown Owensboro. The owners, Tamarra Miller and Andy Brasher, replied from their business Facebook page on the woman’s post Friday, saying they were taking the allegations “very seriously,” that they were reviewing the security footage, and they’d cooperate with the woman and law enforcement.
Miller also posted from the business page Saturday, saying:
As a female business owner and mother of 3, I take the safety of our patrons, employees and friends seriously.
The post and comments that we have been tagged in, describe an absolutely terrible situation. I would never want any woman to go through a situation like that but especially not any woman that has walked through the doors at Brasher’s.
Andy & I have reviewed all security footage from the night in question. I can confidently say that Brasher’s, nor Brasher’s employees are responsible for what happened. (No, we will not be posting the video publicly as it will be part of an investigation.)
We do, however, want to get to the bottom of it. If one of our patrons or employees were to ever found to be involved we will make sure law enforcement has everything they need to make sure they are arrested and prosecuted.
Brasher Little Nashville in no way condones or supports any perpetrator of such a heinous crime.
We encourage every patron to keep their drink with them at all times, no matter where you are. If you ever feel unsafe please bring it to our attention immediately. We strive to have the safest, most fun music venue around.
Tamarra”
