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.
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