Trigger warning: This story contains descriptions of domestic violence.
DeAnna Pappas fired off a series of accusations at ex-husband Stephen Stagliano, just days after it was revealed that the former Bachelorette star was arrested last month following an altercation between her and her ex. The Bachelor Nation star accused her ex of being physically abusive to her during the marriage, and revealed that he had once been held on a temporary, involuntary psychiatric commitment.
DeAnna and Stephen, who met through Bachelor Nation, split last year after 12 years of marriage and two children together. As The Ashley told you earlier this month, DeAnna was arrested February 26 on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. According to In Touch, who broke the news about the former ‘Bachelorette’ star’s arrest, Stephen accused his ex-wife of being drunk and assaulting him during a custody exchange, which DeAnna has denied in court documents.
DeAnna, who accused Stephen of “forcefully” shoving her and pushing her during the altercation in February, was booked on a misdemeanor charge and released later that day on a $20,000 bond.
In a petition for protection that she filed days after her arrest, DeAnna accused Stephen of being physically abusive during their marriage, including in the fall of 2022, when she claims he physically assaulted her and called her a “crazy b***h.”
“Stephen shoved me with one hand. Stephen clenched his fist on my shirt and bra with the other hand. Stephen forcefully shoved me backward into the refrigerator,” she alleged in the filing, according to In Touch. “I was pinned up against the refrigerator and restrained there by Stephen’s grip on my clothing. My shirt and bra both tore off my body. Stephen was pressing his chest and body into me so that I could not escape his grasp.
“Stephen was screaming into my face, calling me a crazy b***h and a f**king nightmare,” she continued. “I was able to get my hands free and shoved Stephen off of me. Stephen walked away. I was physically shaking with fear.”
DeAnna went on to detail another alleged incident that occurred around the same time in 2022, as well as an incident in September 2021 when she and Stephen were living with Stephen’s parents. She also claimed that when she was pregnant in 2016, Stephen shoved her while she was holding their other child, causing her to stumble backward.
DeAnna’s petition for protection also mentioned that Stephen has allegedly “struggled with depression” and “has been held under a 5150 hold.” (In the state of California, a 5150 is a temporary, involuntary psychiatric commitment for up to 72 hours.)
“I do not include this [information] to simply speak negatively of [Stephen],” DeAnna wrote in her petition, while noting that her ex-husband’s alleged mental health issues “do not mean that I do not think he is a good father.”
“I know our children love him deeply and I believe that the two of us need to take a realistic look at what is going on,” she added.
DeAnna also included her petition screenshots of a video she claims her daughter filmed of the February altercation that led to her arrest, insisting that the screenshots prove her innocence.
Stephen has yet to respond to DeAnna’s petition for protection.
(Photos: Instagram)
