Reading Time: 3 minutes
Melissa Rycroft is in a dark place right now.
By her own unfortunate admission.
The Bachelor alum — who appeared on the show’s 13th season in 2009 and actually won Jason Mesnick’s heart… until he dumped her on the After the Final Rose special — is breaking her silence after her arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence.
It sounds as if this incident was sadly representative of how things have been going for Rycroft.
On Monday, the former reality star addressed her arrest when a fan posted an inspirational message in the comments section of her September 5 Instagram post.
This individual wrote about how they also “made the same mistake over 2 years ago because of a perfect storm of bad life events.”
“There’s no excuse, but it happened,” the follower continued.
“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.”
How very kind of this person, huh?
“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….”
Rycroft was arrested on September 23 in Southlake, Texas, where she was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on a Driving While Intoxicated charge.
In a press release, the Southlake Police Department said it reported to a single-vehicle crash around 12:05 p.m. and found “a black Cadillac Escalade that had struck a tree.”
“Prior to the crash, witnesses reportedly observed the Escalade driving erratically,” the statement continued, noting that the driver was later identified as Melissa Rycroft Strickland.
According to Tarrant County arrest records, Rycroft-Strickland was released on a $1,000 bond with a promise to appear in court the following day.
Rycroft was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2009 and then returned to win the All-Stars season of that same show three years later.
Following the incident, Rycroft Strickland’s attorney, Bret Martin, said:
“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.
“It is imperative that we closely examine the circumstances of this case – including the conduct of law enforcement, the toxicology results, and the facts surrounding her arrest – before any conclusions are drawn.
“We respectfully request that the media and the public allow the legal process to unfold, and withhold any judgment whatsoever until all of the evidence has been properly analyzed and presented in a court of law.”
