Former reality TV contestant James McCoy Taylor has broken his silence after finding himself in legal trouble in Texas and facing serious charges following an incident with a woman.
- Aug 6, 2024
AceShowbiz - James McCoy Taylor, a former contestant on Season 12 of "The Bachelorette", has been arrested again, this time on charges related to an incident from earlier this year. The 38-year-old was detained on Sunday, August 4, by the College Station Police Department upon warrants from the nearby Bryan Police Department.
Taylor was charged with assault causing bodily injury and unlawful restraint following an incident that occurred on April 24. After his arrest, Taylor was released on an $8,000 bond.
This isn't Taylor's first run-in with the law. In September 2022, he was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Police reports from the time reveal that Taylor was found urinating in a parking garage.
Despite being warned not to drive, he was later seen driving his truck, resulting in his arrest. Taylor was accompanied by an 18-year-old "college freshman companion," who was not in a condition to make decisions about the situation. Authorities also found a handgun in his vehicle. For these offenses, Taylor served five days in jail and paid fines amounting to $1,085.
In the wake of his most recent arrest, Taylor has maintained his innocence. In a statement to PEOPLE, he dismissed the charges, stating, "I'm a pretty big guy but I was trying to 'unlawfully restrain' a girl and she just … got away?... and walked right to her Uber right outside my house? With NO injuries?"
Taylor's statement raised more questions than it answered, with many left wondering about the details of the April incident.
Taylor has also been a controversial figure for his public support of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Although he later clarified that he was not present at the event, the FBI investigated his whereabouts. His controversial stance led to his "official exile" from Bachelor Nation, as declared by show creator Mike Fleiss. Taylor now includes "exiled from bachelor nation" in his Instagram bio.
Despite his troubled history and legal controversies, Taylor continues to make headlines. His past on "The Bachelorette", where he competed for JoJo Fletcher's love and finished in fifth place, seems a distant memory overshadowed by his current legal battles. Fletcher, who chose sports commentator Jordan Rodgers during her season, married him in May 2022.
