Bachelor alum Melissa Rycroft charged in second DWI case 2 months after pleading guilty to first
New arrest and charges
Rycroft was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Southlake Police Department officers made the arrest, according to Tarrant County Jail records cited by Entertainment Weekly.
Earlier DWI case
Rycroft was arrested in September 2025 for driving while intoxicated and spent eight hours in a local jail before posting a $1,000 bond. She also promised to appear in court.
She pleaded guilty to the DWI charge in August and agreed to 20 months of probation, avoiding 280 days in jail, according to Entertainment Weekly. The court also ordered a $2,000 fine and additional fees, including a trauma fine; the total was $2,087.
Career and family
Rycroft became widely known as a contestant on Jason Mesnick’s 2009 season of The Bachelor. She became engaged to Mesnick in the finale, but he ended the engagement during the After the Final Rose special and reunited with runner-up Molly Malaney.
She later competed on Dancing With the Stars, placing third in Season 8 with Tony Dovolani. The pair returned for the 2012 All-Stars season and won the Mirrorball trophy, Dovolani’s first win in 14 seasons. Rycroft married her former partner, Tye Strickland, in December 2020, and they have three children.
Key points
- Rycroft was arrested Sunday in Texas on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
- She pleaded guilty to a 2025 DWI in August and received 20 months of probation.
- Her new charges include a second-degree DWI and a collision causing vehicle damage of at least $200.
- Tarrant County jail records list bail at $9,000 and say she remains in custody.