John Schneider is asking fans for help after the state of Louisiana seized his property in the Holden area.
The former Dancing With the Stars contestant opened up about his precarious situation in a video posted to Facebook Friday.
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“First of all: This is not the sheriff’s doing – not the sheriff’s doing at all. This is my doing. The sheriff is not the one that couldn’t pay the mortgage. The sheriff is not the one who got himself in trouble,” Schneider says in the video of the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, who seized his property.
“I’m the one that got myself in trouble. His department is great. They are all doing their job. This problem is my problem, my doing,” he added.
Schneider then announced that his John Schneider Studios, which he opened on the 57-acre property back in 2014 in order to make movies, music and stage live shows, has been struggling since suffering serious damage in the 2016 Louisiana flood, as first reported by the Times Picayune.
“What makes matters worse,” he added in the video, “is that I’m a storyteller and not under any circumstances a businessman.”
The video, which runs for 7-and-a-half minutes, did not go into how Schneider’s finances have been affected by his 2014 divorce from Elvira Castle.
The Dukes of Hazzard star was ordered to serve three days in jail in Los Angeles after he failed to meet a court-set deadline to pay more than $150,000 in delinquent spousal su[port and to satisfy tax liens. He turned himself into authorities at the time, claiming he did not have the funds to pay.
His financial troubles continued earlier this week when sheriff’s deputies seized his property for non-payment of reportedly more than $200,000 in debt. The property is scheduled to be auctioned Jan. 16.
Schneider said in the video that he has until Jan. 14 to pay as much of the debt as possible, which is when he went he asked fans for their help.
“I know there’s somebody out there saying, ‘He’s only using this to try and sell more of his movies, music and merchandising.’ Well, to that person I say, ‘Sir or Madam, you are absolutely dead-on right,’” Schneider said. “But as the saying goes, I was always taught this, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.”
He added: “This dream is a dream I am not going to give up on. I’ve had it since I was 8 years old, and I’m going to continue having it until the day I achieve it or the day I die… Come hell or high water — and believe me, we’ve been through both — we are going to get through this or die trying.”
