UPDATE (6/26/2024): John Jessup was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on June 26. The next day, a judge denied bail and scheduled a preliminary hearing for July 11.
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LAS VEGAS — Newly released court documents detail how a Hanco*ck County Commissioner reportedly said “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” before buying a woman an excessive number of Long Island Iced Teas and sexually assaulting her earlier this year in Nevada.
John D. Jessup, 49, is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail awaiting extradition to Las Vegas where he faces a felony sexual assault charge. Jessup is acurrent Hanco*ck County Commissionerserving Vernon, Green and Brown townships. He was elected in May.
Court documents filed June 8 in Nevada detail the evidence that led authorities to charge Jessup. The investigation began in February when Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detectives were contacted by a woman who said she had been sexually assaulted while on vacation in Nevada.
The woman described how, during a night out in Vegas, Jessup “kept feeding her” Long Island Iced Teas despite her wanting to stop and drink water. Jessup then reportedly took the woman to a gentleman’s club where she became sick and started throwing up in the bathroom.
Jessup and the woman then reportedly went back to their hotel, but the woman was so intoxicated she needed to be put into a wheelchair to make it up to her room. Once inside, the woman said she got into the shower fully clothed and turned the water on to sober up.
However, the woman told police that the next thing she remembers is waking up in a bed lying next to Jessup. She said both she and Jessup were naked and that he was “fingering” her vagin*.
Jessup reportedly got out of bed in a hurry once the woman woke up, got dressed and went downstairs to smoke a cigarette. Court documents detail how Jessup kept saying he was sorry and that he should “just kill himself.”
The woman said she pretended to be asleep the rest of the night after Jessup returned and got out of bed early to tell her husband what happened. Soon after, she booked a flight back home and later blocked Jessup’s phone number because he insisted on taking her to the airport.
Other witnesses who were with Jessup and the victim corroborated the woman’s story to detectives, adding that Jessup said “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” multiple times throughout the night. One witness told police Jessup was “trying to run” for commissioner in Hanco*ck County and that the sexual assault allegation may impact this.
Las Vegas police then contacted the Shirley Police Department in Hanco*ck County and asked them to bring Jessup in for an interview. Jessup gave his account of the incident, which he described as “nothing criminal” and “f***ed up.” Police noted that Jessup even laughed during questioning.
Jessup told Shirley police that he and the woman had gotten drunk in Vegas and went to a “titty bar” where they continued to drink. He claimed that, while at the strip club, the woman put his hands on her chest and said the action was “weird” and “messed up.”
The suspect then described how he and the woman headed back to their hotel and went upstairs because she had gotten “pretty lit.” He described how the woman got her clothes wet in the shower and said she asked him to help her get into bed.
Jessup said that while the woman was undressed, she asked him to get in bed with her because she was cold. Police then asked Jessup why the woman wanted to leave soon after, to which he replied that “there was inappropriate contact” between him and the victim.
Police pressed Jessup further on the “inappropriate contact,” and he eventually admitted that he put his finger inside the woman’s vagin*. He denied putting his penis inside her and said he never bragged to others about the incident, despite others saying he did.
Court documents show how Jessup then went on to tell police that there was “nothing criminal” about what he had done and reiterated that it was just a “f***ed up, drunk night.” Jessup also reportedly admitted that he said he should kill himself, which police said implies he knew what he did was wrong.
Finally, Jessup told police that he had not spoken with the woman since and hadn’t “had the chance to apologize.” He added that he had been in therapy since the incident and that he “has not had a drop” of alcohol since that night.
Given the information gathered by detectives, LVMPD filed for a warrant to arrest Jessup. The warrant was later granted in Clark County Court and Jessup was arrested by Shirley police on June 14.
Due to Jessup’s affiliations in Hanco*ck County, he was moved to the Shelby County Jail and is now awaiting extradition to Nevada. Commissioners President Bill Spalding said in a statement last week that Hanco*ck County will not comment on Jessup’s arrest at this time.
“The commissioners do not have much information regarding the reason for the arrest and will refrain from any comment while this out-of-state agency has a charge and an active investigation ongoing,” Spalding said. “We will direct all further inquiry to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.”
FOX59/CBS4 is now working to confirm when Jessup is due for a court appearance in Nevada and when he is expected to be extradited to Clark County. Local newspaper The Greenfield Reporter indicated that Las Vegas authorities have 30 days to pick Jessup up.
The Hanco*ck County Prosecutor’s Office said it was informed in early May of the allegations and worked alongside law enforcement agencies in Las Vegas to assist in the investigation.
“Sexual assault is a horrible crime that is grossly underreported and extremely difficult to investigate and prosecute. We always encourage victims of crime to reach out to local law enforcement and report any crime they believe may have occurred,” Hanco*ck County Prosecutor Brent Eaton said. “We commend the work of LVMPD, the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office, and local law enforcement on their swift response to the victim’s allegations, and the investigation that ultimately resulted in criminal charges. While all defendants are innocent until proven guilty, no one in America is above the law.”
