Devin Strader from 'The Bachelorette' is speaking out on his previous arrest and the restraining order filed against him seven years ago. Devin won the final rose on the most recent season of the ABC reality show and was briefly engaged to Jenn Tran. The season ended in heartbreak when Jenn revealed during the 'After the Final Rose' special that Devin called off their engagement through a phone call.
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00:00Devin Strader from The Bachelorette is speaking out on his previous arrest and the restraining
00:04order filed against him seven years ago.
00:08Devin won the final rose on the most recent season of the ABC reality show and was briefly
00:13engaged to Jen Tran.
00:15The season ended in heartbreak when Jen revealed during the After the Final Rose special that
00:20Devin called off their engagement through a phone call.
00:23Back in 2017, Devin was arrested on accusations that he burglarized an ex-girlfriend's home
00:28in Louisiana.
00:29Reality's Steve was first to report the news, publishing an affidavit reportedly from Devin's
00:34arrest warrant.
00:35The ex-girlfriend also noted other past incidents in a now-unsealed petition, which was obtained
00:39by The Hollywood Reporter.
00:41She alleged that Devin once, quote, "...put me in a chokehold, covering my mouth and spit
00:45on me and threw his drink on me at a Pelicans game in front of everyone in the stands."
00:50And after she awoke to bruises and a, quote, "...pounding head," she claims he said he
00:54almost killed her and didn't want to talk about it.
00:57She filed a restraining order and also alleged that he verbally and mentally abused her.
01:01Now, in a new statement to THR and shared on Devin's social media accounts, he says
01:06the accusations are, quote, "...simply not true."
01:09He said, "...most recently there have been challenges from a low point in my past that
01:13have been brought up and severely misconstrued.
01:16The accusations are simply not true as I have never inappropriately laid hands on another
01:20individual or treated my ex-girlfriend in any of the ways I have been depicted."
01:25That restraining order was never granted and fully dismissed.
01:28"...my college ex-girlfriend and I ended up reconciling and eventually ended our relationship
01:32on good terms."
01:34In his statement, Devin also addressed the 13-minute video he recently shared on Instagram,
01:38in which he revealed private text messages between him and Jen as a means to defend himself
01:43and the relationship timeline that was presented during the Bachelorette finale.
01:47He said in his statement, "...following my time on the Bachelorette, there have been
01:50many stories and misrepresentations put out in the media that I want to take a moment
01:55to address.
01:56I want to apologize for the video I released following the final episode.
01:59I am not proud of that lapse in judgment.
02:01I am truly grateful for my time on the show and for getting the chance to know and love
02:05Jen.
02:06I certainly regret hurting her in any way.
02:09She is a very special person and I wish her nothing but good things."
02:12News of Devin's background re-ups questions surrounding ABC's vetting process for the
02:16show's cast, given this is not the first time a casting controversy has clouded a season.
02:21A source close to the show told THR,
02:23"...we take the safety of our contestants very seriously and make every effort to conduct
02:28thorough diligence.
02:29As exhaustive as our vetting process is, this protective order did not surface in our searches."
02:35For more on this story, head to THR.com.
02:37This is The Hollywood Reporter News.