Before joining the cast of ABC The Bachelorette — and eventually winning the final rose and briefly dating Jenn Tran — Devin Strader was arrested and issued a restraining order against him.
RealityStevewhich reports spoilers and news about the Bachelor franchise, was first to report the news, publishing an affidavit of what is reportedly a warrant for Strader's arrest on one count of “simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling” seven years before the show's final season. At the time, Strader had been arrested on charges of burglarizing an ex-girlfriend's home in Louisiana. His ex-girlfriend also had a restraining order against him at the time.
In the affidavit prepared by the Baton Rouge Police Department and filed in 2017 by the unnamed ex-girlfriend, the woman said that after a trip out of town, she returned to find her home burglarized and the diamond necklace Strader had given her while they were dating missing. According to the woman, she and Strader lived two doors down from each other.
The woman also claimed that Strader showed up at her home multiple times, “knocking on the door multiple times and yelling at her,” which led her to file a restraining order against him.
He also stated that Strader “set a fire in the street with what appeared to be the effective restraining order” and when “he had a flat tire on his vehicle and when it was changed, [Strader] he came out and started laughing at her.”
After Strader's arrest on burglary charges, Weekly show reported that Strader pleaded guilty to charges of criminal trespass and simple criminal damage to property under $500. He also received one year of unsupervised probation.
The news of Strader’s background raises questions once again about ABC’s vetting process for the show’s cast, as it’s not the first time a casting controversy has tarnished a season. After Bachelorette season 14 contestant Becca Kufrin was cast despite a pending sexual assault case, ABC reality show executive Rob Mills said the team discovered a loophole they’ve since been able to fix in the background process and that she applied for the 2019 season.
What was made public during Strader's probation process was an affidavit of a burglary arrest. The details in the restraining order, however, were sealed when Bachelorette Party The producers were conducting their own background checks, a production source says. DAY. Strader was allegedly asked for classified details; it is not known when the details were made public or what Strader told the producers at the time.
“We take the safety of our contestants very seriously and make every effort to conduct thorough due diligence,” a source close to the show says. DAY“As thorough as our review process is, this protective order did not emerge from our searches.”
However, navigating the social media waters as viewers learn about and research the contestants has remained a trickier task in the reality show’s vetting process. Just yesterday, ABC’s Facebook page released the potential cast of Grant Ellis’s next contestants. The early reveal gives the show time to gather feedback before the final list is announced. Ellis will be the franchise’s second Black Bachelor when he leads the 2025 season.
During the season finale on September 3rd of The BacheloretteTran proposed to Strader. However, the season ended in dramatic heartbreak when Tran revealed during the After the final rose special, that shortly after she proposed to him in the pre-taped finale, he didn't seem to be the person she ultimately chose. He called off the engagement via phone call, she said when she angrily and tearfully confronted him on stage on live TV earlier this month.
Strader recently shared a 13-minute video on Instagram in which he revealed private text messages between himself and Tran as a means of defending himself and his alleged relationship history. The video has since been deleted.
Shortly after the finale, it was announced that Tran would be competing in the new season of Dancing with the stars, which will debut on Tuesday evening.