A former star of "The Bachelorette" has publicly made allegations of sexual assault against an individual she claims is a San Diego restaurant owner.
Katie Thurston, known for her roles on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, has taken to her Instagram page to accuse a San Diego restaurant owner of sexual assault. Thurston, who first appeared on Season 25 of The Bachelor and later starred as the lead in Season 17 of The Bachelorette, made the serious allegation in a series of emotional Instagram Story posts on her account.
In the posts, Thurston first shared a video of a man inside a business, along with a text thread indicating that he is one of the owners of Crudo restaurant. She later reveals the incident happened on November 11, 2023 and outrightly specifies it is Crudo Ceviche & Oyster Bar in San Diego's Little Italy. She never names the individual. Her messages urged women in the community to exercise caution and to report sexual assault.
"WOMEN OF SAN DIEGO," she began her post, urging caution. "Be aware of this man and his restaurant. Because of him, a nurse found my tampon lodged deep inside of me during a r*pe exam. And even crazier, he can admit to it on a recorded line, link DNA, and still walk away freely."
As of now, neither the restaurant nor the individual accused has issued a public response. The restaurant, a popular spot on India Street in San Diego's Little Italy, has disabled the comment section on its latest Instagram post following the allegations and is currently being 'review bombed' on its Yelp page. Thurston’s statement has ignited conversations online regarding the safety of women, accountability, and the need for awareness within the community.
Katie Thurston, a former bank marketing manager from Washington state, quickly became a fan favorite on The Bachelor for her candid personality and advocacy for open conversations around sex positivity. Her season of The Bachelorette was notable for addressing topics such as sexual assault and consent, making her current accusations particularly impactful.
This isn’t the first time Thurston has spoken out about her sexual assault experience. In June, she revealed via Instagram that she had been raped. More recently, she provided an update regarding the closure of her case after meeting with the San Diego District Attorney.
"Today I was in San Diego to meet with the District Attorney who was assigned to my case. And officially, that chapter is closed for good," Thurston, 33, wrote via her Instagram Story on Monday, August 12. "This week has been extremely hard and I am so blessed with an amazing support system both in person and online."
Thurston's accusations have already garnered significant attention, and many are awaiting further developments as the matter unfolds. We reached out to Thurston for comment via Instagram and to her advertised public relations representative but did not receive a response by the time of publishing.
This is a developing story. We'll update this post as more information is obtained.
