Melissa Rycroft has been going through a challenging period in her life.
The former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader is best known for her time on The Bachelor, where she accepted Jason Mesnick’s proposal on the show — only to be heartbreakingly dumped by him on live TV in favor of runner-up Molly Mesnick, who is now his wife.
While Rycroft has largely kept a low profile in recent years, she made headlines last month when the mother of three was arrested on September 23 in Texas, and booked into the Tarrant County Jail on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
According to a press release from the Southlake Police Department, officers responded to a single-vehicle crash around 12:05 p.m., where they found “a black Cadillac Escalade that had struck a tree.”
“Prior to the crash, witnesses reportedly observed the Escalade driving erratically,” the statement continued. “No other vehicles were involved, and no injuries were reported. The case remains under investigation.”
All the ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ Couples Who Are Still Together
Tarrant County arrest records show that Rycroft Strickland was released on a $1,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court the following day.
Following the incident, the star’s attorney, Bret Martin, told People, “I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system…every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We, as a society, have gotten completely away from this fundamental concept. My client was arrested on the allegation of Driving While Intoxicated. An arrest is no indication of guilt.”
On Monday, Oct. 6, almost a month after the arrest Rycroft addressed how she is doing after a fan left an encouraging comment on her Sept. 5 Instagram post.
“There’s no excuse, but it happened,” the fan said to her. “Don’t ever forget that you are beautiful, loved, and blessed. But most of all, you are human. Things happen. Life happens. Be grateful that it wasn’t worse and move forward with grace.”
The Bachelorette’s Rachel Lindsay, Bryan Abasolo’s Relationship Timeline
“Thank you,” Rycroft replied. “Life really sucks right now and I’m struggling, but I’m trying to march forward… but thank you for the sweet words in what seems like a world of negativity.”
