Former ‘Bachelorette’ DeAnna Pappas Arrested After Argument With Ex-Husband Stephen Stagliano

Former Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas was arrested on Feb. 27 following an argument with her ex-husband, Stephen Stagliano.

According to court documents first obtained by In Touch, Lynn Stagliano, who is identified as Stephen’s mother, filed a declaration claiming that on Feb. 26, she had gone to Pappas’ house to help get the exes’ 9-year-old son Austin to school when she “very clearly” smelled alcohol on Pappas’ breath.

Later that evening, when Stephen arrived at Pappas’ house to pick up their 11-year-old daughter Addison, Pappas claimed, “Stephen told me I needed to walk closer to him because he wanted to smell my breath to make sure that I was not drunk. I had not consumed any alcohol. I ignored Stephen’s comment, and I walked back into the garage.”

She continued, “I heard noise behind me. I turned around to see Stephen following me into my garage. Addison had been left alone sitting in his car with the engine running. I tried to shut my garage door. Stephen pushed my garage door upward so that it would not close. I shouted at Stephen to get out of my garage. Stephen refused to leave.”

Pappas went inside and locked the door, but came back out after she claimed she heard Stephen stealing items out of the garage. The reality personality also claimed her daughter recorded the incident on her phone.

“Stephen took his hands, grabbing me, and then forcefully shoved me. He pushed my back again. In fear that he would hurt me, I immediately went back inside the house and locked the door while I waited for the police to arrive,” Pappas said, claiming that her ex called the police, who arrived and told her that Stephen had accused her of being drunk and was pressing charges against her for domestic violence.

“Stephen had told the Sheriff that I was the aggressor who assaulted him, which was false,” she continued. “At no time was I requested to test for alcohol despite Stephen’s allegations. In fact, the officer that arrested me exhibited no concern that I was at all intoxicated.”

Pappas was arrested on a misdemeanor charge on Feb. 27 and released the same day on $20,000 bond. Pappas said she voluntarily submitted to drug and alcohol testing after being released from jail and tested negative for both. She continued to deny any of Stephen’s allegations that she had a drinking problem as a “fabrication that I am an alcoholic,” which she called “wholly false” and drummed up as a way for her ex “to gain leverage in his attempt to alienate the children from me.”

Pappas claimed Stephen has been “coaching” their daughter to look for alcohol in her home and to “literally sniff out alcohol and to alienate her from me by making her believe that I am an alcoholic,” emphasizing, “I am not an alcoholic.”

On March 7, Pappas filed a restraining order against Stephen, requiring him to be 100 yards away from her at all times. In Touch reported that a hearing date has been set for later this month.

Pappas first appeared on Brad Womack’s season of The Bachelor in 2007 before going on to star in The Bachelorette‘s 2008 season. Pappas and contestant Jesse Csincsak got engaged on her season, but split less than a year later. Pappas then went on to meet her soon-to-be husband Stephen through his brother Michael, who was on Jillian Harris’ season of The Bachelorette, and Pappas and Stephen married in October 2011.

In January 2023, Pappas and her husband announced that they were separating after 11 years of marriage. “It is with immense sadness, Stephen & I have decided to end our relationship as a couple. We have been working hard for a long time — both as a married couple & as individuals & have come to the conclusion to remain separate,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “We remain loving parents to our beautiful children, Addison & Austin, & will continue to raise them together with love & faith.”