Honey Boo Boo’s Boyfriend Was Arrested and Accused of Statutory Rape Before Dating Her

Honey Boo Boo’s boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, reportedly has a dark past. The Sun reported that Carswell was previously arrested and accused of statutory rape. The incident reportedly occurred when Carswell was 18 years old and before he started dating the reality star, whose real name is Alana Thompson. 

In May 2019, Carswell was arrested and initially charged with statutory rape. The Sun was able to obtain a police report from the incident, which noted that the alleged victim’s mother was the one who brought the matter to the authorities. Carswell reportedly climbed through the alleged victim’s window and had sex with the minor, who was 15 years old. An officer reported that they interviewed the minor, writing, “I asked the daughter if it was consensual, and she stated ‘Yes.’”

The alleged victim told the officer that “her plan with Carswell was for him to come to the house and while there they had consensual unprotected sex in her bedroom.” As for what Carswell told the authorities, he reportedly said that the minor “was his girlfriend and they had talked about him coming to her house… but he did not actually go to the house.” According to The Sun, Carswell’s recollection of the events seemed to differ from what his friends had to say. He first claimed that he was at his friend’s house all day and night on the day of the alleged incident. However, his friends later told police that they dropped him off at the minor’s house and picked him up an hour later. 

When they reportedly arrived to pick him up, Carswell alleged said that he “was scared and told them to drive fast” because the minor’s “mama had caught him inside the house.” While Carswell was initially charged with statutory rape, the charge was later dropped after he completed a pretrial diversion program. The mother of the 15-year-old was reportedly in agreement that his completion of this program was grounds to have the matter dismissed. The case was ultimately dismissed after he completed the program in December 2021. 

Despite their five-year age difference, Carswell and Thompson have been dating since early 2021. Even though their relationship has faced criticism because of their ages, Thompson’s mother, Mama June Shannon, defended the couple in an interview with Too Fab. Shannon said, “Yes, I’ve met Dralin, they’ve been together for over a year. People need to realize that she’s going to be 17 in August and that [Alana’s older sister] Pumpkin and Josh were the same age as they were.”