Around 3:00 a.m., on April 23, 2017, Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a home in the Prescott area regarding a sexual assault report involving a suspect taxi cab driver.
According to the victim, she and a friend had consumed alcoholic beverages while visiting clubs earlier on Whiskey Row in Prescott, and readily admitted having too much to drink at the time. As a result, she decided to be responsible and utilize a taxi to get home safely. During the ride, the taxi driver passed by the turn into her neighborhood, drove a bit further, and then pulled to the roadside. The driver exited the cab, walked over to her side of the vehicle and opened her door. He removed portions of her clothing and sexually assaulted her even as she resisted. She told deputies the driver only stopped the assault when the radio dispatcher was heard attempting to find out why the fare was taking so long.
The driver eventually took her home. Before he left, the victim demanded his name and the identification of the taxi company. He told her his name was ‘John’ and provided, as determined later, the identification of a competing cab service. He did not charge the victim for the trip. The victim gave a physical description of her attacker to the reporting deputy.
As the interview was underway, deputies were simultaneously patrolling the area in an attempt to locate the suspected cab driver. Around 3:15 a.m., a deputy spotted a yellow colored minivan taxi north on Montezuma Street which eventually pulled into the Maverick gas station in the 600 block of Whipple Street. While the deputy was parked nearby, the driver never exited his cab. The deputy then approached the driver of foot and noted he matched the suspect description provided by the victim.
The driver was identified as 63-year-old Casey Bright from Prescott Valley who claimed he did not know any cab driver’s named John. When questioned about a recent stop in the victim’s neighborhood, the driver admitted dropping off an intoxicated female in that area earlier. A check of Bright’s log confirmed he had taken the victim home. He also admitted lying to victim regarding his name and cab company identification. Bright claimed any sexual contact was consensual.
Once the initial investigation was concluded, Bright was arrested for one count of Sexual Assault and remains in the Camp Verde Detention on a $50,000 bond.