Missouri hotel employee allegedly duplicated room key and attempted to rape guest
01/06/2022 2:55 pm PST
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (TCD) -- A 30-year-old employee at a downtown Kansas City hotel allegedly duplicated a room key, broke into a guest's room, and sexually assaulted her.
According to the Kansas City Star, police responded to the Hotel Phillips at 106 W. 12th St. in the early morning on Dec. 17 when a guest told authorities that a man from the front desk of the hotel, Fletcher Clardy III, sexually assaulted her.
The woman was reportedly in town for a business trip and had watched the Chiefs game in the hotel restaurant and bar with a few co-workers the night of the alleged assault.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Kansas City Star, the victim went to her room afterwards and packed for her early flight, then went back to the hotel bar at 11:45 p.m. for drinks. Clardy was allegedly at the bar serving the victim and other hotel guests at the time. On Dec. 17 between 2 and 2:30 a.m., the Kansas City Star reports that the female victim went back to her room for the night, locking the door before going to bed.
According to the complaint obtained by the Kansas City Star, the victim woke up between 4 and 4:30 a.m., as Clardy was allegedly pulling off her pajamas and exposing his penis. She reportedly told the police she screamed at the suspect, "Get the f--k off of me! Who the hell are you? Get away from me! Get the hell out of here!"
According to the Kansas City Star, the victim told police that the employee responded, "Sorry, I thought you wanted it." She reportedly recognized the suspect's voice as the man from the bar and front desk, and she confirmed his identity from a photo array presented by police.
According to KCTV-TV, police were provided with a transaction history report for hotel room keys, an interrogation report for the locks of their hotel rooms, and surveillance video from hotel staff. Upon further investigation, police reportedly found that at approximately 4:10 a.m., a duplicate key was made for the female victim's hotel room while she was inside her room. According to the Kansas City Star, obtained surveillance video revealed that Clardy created the key and entered the elevator shortly after. He then reportedly opened the woman's hotel room with the duplicated key.
On Dec. 30, Clardy was let go from the hotel. According to records, he was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Detention Center. Clardy's bond was set at $150,000 and he is scheduled to appear in court Monday, Jan. 10.
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