'The Bachelorette' winner Devin Strader says report of past arrest, restraining order are 'severely misconstrued.' Here's what we know.
Devin Strader, who was briefly Jenn Tran’s fiancé on The Bachelorette, is addressing past abuse allegations that surfaced since the show’s finale.
Reality Steve, an outlet that covers The Bachelor franchise, reported on Monday that Strader was arrested in 2017 on allegations that he burglarized his ex-girlfriend’s home in Louisiana and was the subject of a restraining order due to alleged physical, verbal and mental abuse. In a statement released Thursday, the 28-year-old freight company manager said the accusations are “simply not true.”
?? What is Strader accused of?
On Sept. 16, Reality Steve published an affidavit from Strader’s arrest warrant on one felony count of “simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling” from seven years ago when he was a student at Louisiana State University. (Other outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, have since obtained the legal papers.)
The documents, from the Baton Rouge Police Department, detailed an unidentified woman’s allegation that she returned home to find her dwelling had been burglarized with personal items broken or thrown on the floor. A diamond necklace Strader had given her while they were dating was missing. She said Strader, who lived two doors down, had come to her home on multiple occasions “banging on the door” and “screaming at her” and she had subsequently filed a restraining order against him.
According to the affidavit, Strader made a “fire out in the street with what appeared to be the actual restraining order.” She also alleged that one of her car tires had damaged and that Strader came outside while it was being changed and laughed at her.
Strader was arrested on burglary charges, pleaded guilty to charges of criminal trespass and simple criminal damage to property of less than $500 and received one year of unsupervised probation, according to EW.
The restraining order filed by Strader’s ex had been sealed — until now. In it, Strader’s ex alleged that he "put me in a chokehold covering my mouth” and "spit on me and threw his drink on me at [a] Pelicans game in front of everyone in the crowd.” She claimed that he inflicted “physical abuse” as well as “verbally and mentally abused” her. She alleged that he almost “killed” her — and that she had bruises on her “knees, elbow, stomach, arms” and a “pounding” head.
“He has degraded me and taken everything from me,” she wrote. “My self confidence, self-esteem, and I hope no other girl ever has to go through what I went through.”
??? What is Strader saying?
Strader said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter and on his Instagram Story, “There have been many stories and misrepresentations put out in the media that I want to take a moment to address” since his time on the show.
He continued, “There have been challenges from a low point in my past that have been brought up and severely misconstrued. The accusations are simply not true as I have never inappropriately laid hands on another individual or treated my ex-girlfriend in any of the ways I have been depicted. That restraining order was never granted and fully dismissed.”
Strader claimed he and his college ex-girlfriend “ended up reconciling and eventually ended our relationship on good terms. This was the first time I ever fell in love and I learned a lot from our relationship. It was a growing experience for both of us.”
He concluded that while he has “made mistakes in my life” and is “not perfect,” he has “continued to work every day to be someone that my family and friends would be proud of, and I am truly thankful to everyone who has been by my side.”
Strader also apologized to Tran after he posted a 13-minute video on Instagram to defend himself for calling off their engagement since the show’s finale. His video revealed private text messages exchanges they had. He’s since deleted the post.
?? What has the show said about Strader’s past allegations?
This obviously raises concerns in the vetting process of the ABC reality franchise.
According to THR, the affidavit of the burglary arrest was public when the show was checking Strader’s background. The restraining order was sealed, a source close to production said.
"We take the safety of our contestants very seriously and make every effort to conduct thorough diligence,” a show source said in a statement to EW and THR. “As exhaustive as our vetting process is, this protective order did not surface in our searches."
Tran and Strader became engaged during the finale of The Bachelorette, but split prior to it airing on Sept. 3. During the After the Final Rose special, the exes were awkwardly brought together to discuss their split. Tran claimed Strader misrepresented himself and broke up with her during a 15-minute phone call in August.
For anyone affected by abuse and needing support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or if you're unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522.
