Travel nurse recovering after Kent, WA attack, fundraiser started for recovery

The Brief

• Travis Ashburn, a journey nurse, was assaulted outdoors a Kent restaurant, allegedly by Keegan Keitges, who might have been stalking his ex-girlfriend.

• Keitges pleaded guilty to assaulting Ashburn and violating a safety order; a monitoring gadget was discovered in the sufferer’s buddy’s car.

• Ashburn is recovering from extreme accidents, and a fundraiser has been started to help with his medical bills.

KENT, Wash. – A person who works as a journey nurse is still recovering after being attacked and assaulted outdoors a restaurant in Kent.

Police imagine the suspect, Keegan Keitges, might have been stalking his ex-girlfriend and attacked Travis Ashburn because he was at the restaurant with her. He is pictured below prior to the assault.

Lauren says she and Travis are long-time pals. She believes her ex, might need used a GPS tracker to discover her at the restaurant before launching the assault.

Travis is pictured in the hospital below following the assault.

“He’s always been a great friend, super supportive,” said Lauren.

Lauren Aaronson says she and Ashburn, who works as a journey nurse, had gone to dinner at Kent Station to catch up and get pleasure from a summer season out. However, the night took a darkish flip after they left the restaurant.

“We are walking out of Duke’s on our way to my car,” said Lauren. “Me and Travis are walking and Keegan runs up behind him and hits him. Travis drops totally knocked out and can’t even fight back.”

She says her ex-boyfriend Keegan Keitges snuck up behind Travis, hanging him on the top, inflicting him to fall to the ground unconscious. Keegan is pictured below.

“He gets on top of him and just starts beating him and curb stomps him and runs away,” said Lauren.

Witnesses told police he’d been knocked out, “after the first blow” then “proceeded to strike an unconscious Ashburn in the face several times.”

This was a photograph of his accidents documented as evidence of the assault in court paperwork. It was so graphic, FOX 13 blurred the image.

“I’m like screaming, ‘Somebody help’,” said Lauren.

Lauren told police she’d also been bodily abused in the past by Keegan. They wrote in charging paperwork, “Keegan had forcefully pressed his hand against Lauren’s face, causing her lips to swell and her nose to bleed.” 

Then, when police had been called by a neighbor to examine what was occurring at the home during that incident, Keegan was accused of driving away with evidence, “taking the bloody bed sheets with him.” 

Police also wrote in court paperwork, “Keegan would threaten to hurt/kill her dogs by hanging them, hurt her friends, hurt her family…”

“It took somebody else getting hurt for me to come forward with everything,” said Lauren.

After the assault on Travis, detectives acknowledged in court paperwork they discovered a gadget in Lauren’s car that might have been used to monitor Lauren’s location.

Court paperwork acknowledged; “The detectives located a tracking device on the floorboard of the rear passenger side of the vehicle.”

Keegan pleaded guilty to violating a safety order on Lauren, and the assault on Travis. His handwritten confession reads:

“I hit and kicked him multiple times while he was on the ground.” 

“The injuries I caused exceeded the level of bodily harm necessary to satisfy the elements of the crime by breaking multiple bones during the assault.”  

Lauren started an online fundraiser to help Travis with his medical bills as he recovers.

“I know he was appreciative toward anyone that helps,” said Lauren.

Travis has been launched from the hospital and has been getting help from his girlfriend, who is also pals with Lauren, along with other pals and household as effectively.

“It’s been a long and painful journey so far,” said Travis. “Still in a bit of pain and still have swelling and don’t look quite the same.”

“It’s heartbreaking this happened to him. It couldn’t have happened to someone more nice and caring,” said Lauren.

The Source

Information in this story got here from Kent Police, GoFundMe and authentic FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.

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