Devin Strader, who was briefly Jenn Tran’s fiancé in The Bacheloretteaddresses allegations of past abuse that surfaced after the show’s finale.
Reality Steve, an outlet that reports on The Bachelor franchise, reported Monday that Strader was arrested in 2017 on charges he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s Louisiana home and was the subject of a restraining order alleging physical, verbal and mental abuse. In a statement released Thursday, the 28-year-old freight company manager said the allegations are “simply not true.”
➡️ What is Strader accused of?
On September 16, Reality Steve posted a sworn affidavit of Strader’s arrest warrant on one felony count of “simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling” from seven years ago while he was a student at Louisiana State University. (Other media outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, have since obtained the legal documents.)
The documents, obtained from the Baton Rouge Police Department, detail an unidentified woman’s claim that she came home to find her home had been broken into, with personal items broken or thrown to the floor. A diamond necklace that Strader had given her while they were dating was missing. She said that Strader, who lived two doors down from her, had come to her home multiple times and “banged on the door” and “yelled at her,” and that she subsequently filed for a restraining order against him.
According to the affidavit, Strader “set a fire in the street with what appeared to be an actual restraining order.” She also claimed that one of her car tires was flat and that Strader came outside while the tire was being changed and laughed at her.
Strader was arrested on suspicion of burglary, pleaded guilty to trespassing and simple destruction of property valued at less than $500, and was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation, EW reported.
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 across my mouth” and “spit on me and threw his drink at me [a] Pelicans game for everyone in the audience.” She alleged he was “physically abusive” and “verbally and mentally abusive.” She alleged he nearly “killed” her — and that she was left with bruises on her “knees, elbow, stomach, arms” and a “throbbing” head.
“He humiliated me and took 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 does Strader say?
Strader said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter and on his Instagram Story: “There have been a lot of stories and misrepresentations 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 forward and grossly misinterpreted. The allegations are simply not true as I have never inappropriately laid hands on another individual or treated my ex-girlfriend in any of the ways that have been portrayed. That restraining order was never granted and was completely revoked.”
Strader claimed that he and his college ex-girlfriend “eventually got together and ended our relationship on good terms. This was the first time I 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 his life” and “is not perfect,” he has “worked every day to be someone my family and friends would be proud of, and I am truly grateful to everyone who has stood by my side.”
Strader also apologized to Tran after he posted a 13-minute video on Instagram defending himself for calling off their engagement since the show’s finale. His video revealed private text message exchanges they had. He has since deleted the post.
📺 What did the show say about Strader’s previous allegations?
This obviously raises questions about the review process for ABC’s reality series.
According to THR, the burglary arrest affidavit was public when the show ran Strader’s background check. The restraining order was sealed, a source close to the production said.
“We take the safety of our contestants very seriously and are committed to conducting thorough investigations,” a source from the show said in a statement to EW and THR. “As exhaustive as our screening process is, this protective order did not come up in our searches.”
Tran and Strader got engaged during the finale of The Bachelorettebut split before it aired on September 3. During the After the last rose In particular, the exes were awkwardly brought together to discuss their split. Tran alleged that Strader had misrepresented himself and broken up with her during a 15-minute phone call in August.
For anyone experiencing abuse and in need of support, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. If you are not able to speak safely, you can log on to dehotline.org or send LOVEIS to 22522.
