Melissa Rycroft broke her silence following a recent DWI arrest.
“Life really sucks right now and I’m struggling, but I’m trying to march forward,” Rycroft, 42, wrote in an Instagram comment responding to a fan on Monday, October 6.
Rycroft’s most recent Instagram post was shared more than a month ago, on September 5, but that hasn’t stopped fans from reacting in the former Bachelor star’s comments section.
“I pray that you never see this comment or the negative ones either. Some people would have the world believe that they have never made a mistake,” the fan who Rycroft replied to wrote on Friday, October 3, after news of Rycroft’s DWI broke. “I 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 comment 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.”
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Rycroft concluded her reply, “Thank you for the sweet words in what seems like a world of negativity.”
TMZ was first to report on Friday that Rycroft had been arrested for a DWI on September 23. The publication subsequently obtained a report offering more details regarding the incident.
Rycroft allegedly told Texas police officers who reported to the scene that she was involved in a hit-and-run accident, claiming that the other driver fled. The report alleged that Rycroft’s black Cadillac Escalade was damaged on its right side. A nearby tree also apparently had similar damage.
An eyewitness who allegedly saw the entire incident claimed that Rycroft was the only one involved in the accident.
The Tarrant County police’s report alleged that Rycroft had “bloodshot eyes” and “slurred speech” while sharing her apparent account of the story. A police officer also claimed that Rycroft was swaying while she stood on the scene and they noticed a “slight odor of a metabolized alcoholic beverage” on her breath. A search of her vehicle also allegedly revealed “fresh droplets of colored liquid substances and spilled liquids inside the vehicle,” which police believed to be alcohol.
After administering field sobriety tests, Rycroft was taken into custody. She was held for eight hours before being released on a $1,000 bond.
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Rycroft’s lawyer, Bret Martin, spoke out in a statement to TMZ on Friday. (Us Weekly has reached out for additional comment.)
“I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system … every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” the statement read. “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.”
Martin continued, “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.”
Rycroft won Jason Mesnick’s season of The Bachelor in 2009, but the lead famously changed his mind and got back together with (and married) runner-up Molly Mesnick (née Malaney). Rycroft married husband Tye Strickland in 2009 and they share three kids.
