‘Southern Charm’ Star Thomas Ravenel Arrested on Assault and Battery Charge

Arrest follows Ravenel’s exit from Bravo reality show after sexual assault accusation

Thomas Ravenel
Photo by: Rodolfo Martinez/Bravo

Thomas Ravenel, who announced his exit from the Bravo reality series “Southern Charm” following an accusation of sexual assault earlier this year, has been arrested on a charge of second-degree assault and battery, according to inmate records from the Charleston County Sheriff’s office.

According to the records, Ravenel, 56, was booked at 10:11 a.m. on Tuesday.

It’s unclear if the arrest is related to the previous accusation against Ravenel. TheWrap has reached out to a representative of the sheriff’s office for further information.

In May, news broke that the Charleston Police Department was investigating rape accusations against Ravenel.

In the document filed with the Charleston Police Department, an unidentified Caucasian woman accuses the Bravo reality TV star of “sex offense/forcible rape” during the second week of January 2015.

The investigation came around the same time that Ravenel faced an accusation of sexual assault. In interviews with various media outlets, real estate agent and model Ashley Perkins said her mother, Debbie Holloway Perkins, met Ravenel on Tinder in October 2015 and was sexually assaulted by the reality star when they went out on a date a few months later.

In a statement to People at the time, Ravenel’s attorney Richard P. Terbrusch said, “My client enjoys a certain degree of fame and unfortunately has become — unfairly — a target for an individual who has, in my opinion, dubious motivations.”

People further reported that, following Perkins’ accusation, another accuser, identified as Dawn, said she brought her accusation against Ravenel to police in May. Dawn, reportedly a nanny to Ravenel’s children, told People that, while Ravenel’s daughter was sleeping, the former reality TV star “corralled” her to his bedroom, dropped his pants, and while blocking the door “proceeded to rip my clothes off.”

Dawn said that she was eventually able to free herself from the situation.

TheWrap has reached out to Terbrusch’s law firm for comment on Ravenel’s arrest.

In August, Ravenel said he will not return to the Bravo reality show for its sixth season.

“I’m not doing the show anymore,” Ravenel wrote on his private Twitter account. “In the contract they have the right to fictionalize your story. They took advantage of me. I decided I’ve got too much to lose and informed them I’m not coming back.”

Comments