Bachelorette alum DeAnna Pappas was arrested for allegedly getting into an altercation in a drunken state with her ex-husband, Stephen Stagliano. The former spouses were married for 11 years before their divorce settlement in June 2024. They are parents to their son Austin and daughter Addison.
According to documents obtained by InTouchWeekly, a woman named Lynn Stagliano, who appears to be Stephen’s mother, filed a declaration in their divorce. The filing followed months after the exes had finalised their custody and support deals.
Bachelorette alum DeAnna Pappas accused of domestic violence against ex-husband
Nevertheless, the new declaration stated that when the woman claiming to be Stephen’s mother went to DeAnna Pappas’ house on February 26 to help get her grandson Austin to school, she found the reality TV star in an intoxicated smell.
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After smelling alcohol on her breath, Lynn put her grandson in the car and left the place. Later that night, Pappas’ ex-husband also came to the house to pick up their daughter Addison.
DeAnna Pappas’ account differs from her ex’s claims
Stating her side in the official docs, DeAnna said that at the time when she walked her daughter to the car, Stephen told her to walk closer to him because he wanted to make sure she was not drunk. “I had not consumed any alcohol. I ignored Stephen’s comment, and I walked back into the garage,” she claimed.
DeAnna added, “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.” She said she eventually went inside, locked the door and walked back out as she heard noises in the garage.
“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,” she alleged.
“Stephen had told the Sheriff that I was the aggressor who assaulted him, which was false,” Pappas claimed in the docs that Stephen called the police. As the cops arrived around midnight, her ex-husband accused her of being drunk and attacking him.
Reality TV star reiterates she is not an alcoholic
“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,” DeAnna said.
DeAnna was arrested on a misdemeanour charge on Feb 27 and released the same day on a $20,000 bond, according to jail records. After her bail, DeAnna reportedly voluntarily went ahead for drug testing. She claimed to have tested negative for both. In the following week, she went on to file a restraining order against her husband.
The former reality TV star who appeared on The Bachelor Season 11 and The Bachelorette Season 4 filed for divorce in January 2023. Pappas’ petition attributed “irreconcilable differences” to the breakup. She demanded primary custody of their kids and spousal support. Meanwhile, Stephen asked for joint custody of the children.
In her new filing, she alleged, “The basis of [Stephen’s] is based on his fabrication that I am an alcoholic,” she claimed. “This is wholly false and fabricated as way for [Stephen] to gain leverage in his attempt to alienate the children from me.”
She further claimed that Stephen had coached their daughter to “look for alcohol in the home,” and “literally sniff out alcohol and to alienate her from me by making her believe that I am an alcoholic.”
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However, DeAnna maintained that she is not an alcoholic. Per the finalised deal, the exes agreed to share joint custody. The deal further stated, “neither party shall drink alcohol in excess of the legal limit during their custody periods, or have a child and/or children in their custody and control when being intoxicated.”
Restraining order against ex-husband
Pappas’ March 7 restraining order filing ordered her ex to stay 100 yards away from her. A hearing has been scheduled for later this month.
On the other hand, according to the documents reviewed by Us Weekly, the Bachelorette alum still considers him a “good father. ” She claimed that their children “love him deeply” despite his “past mental health issues.”
DeAnna also noted that they “need to take a realistic look at what is going on and do whatever we have to do to help” their children regardless of their divorce.
