Reality television personality Melissa Rycroft was arrested in Texas on Sunday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, after police said her vehicle struck a stationary ambulance and left the scene.
The 43-year-old was taken into custody months after pleading guilty to a separate DWI charge in August. That case stemmed from a September 2025 incident and resulted in a 20-month probation sentence.
Southlake police told The Daily Mail that officers were called at about 5:50 p.m. Saturday following reports of a hit-and-run. The driver was accused of hitting an ambulance that had stopped at a stop sign.
Authorities said no one was injured. Officers later found the driver, whom they identified as Rycroft, and transported her to the Keller Regional Detention Facility for processing.
The Dallas-born television personality, known for appearances on The Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars, was listed Sunday as being held at the Tarrant County Corrections Center, according to jail records reviewed by The Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail contacted Rycroft’s representatives, her attorney Bret Martin and the Tarrant County District Clerk’s Office for additional comment.
The Bachelor alum Melissa Rycroft, 43, was arrested Sunday in Texas on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, months after pleading guilty to a DWI charge stemming from a September 2025 incident
Rycroft, who previously worked as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, faces a second-degree DWI charge, according to records. The charge carries a $7,500 bond.
She was also charged with driving with a prior conviction or suspension without financial responsibility, which carries a $500 bond, and collision involving damage to a vehicle of at least $200, which carries a $1,000 bond, records show.
Rycroft pleaded guilty in August to a DWI charge related to her September 23, 2025 arrest.
After a follower offered words of support in an October 2025 message, Rycroft replied, ‘Life really sucks right now and I’m struggling, but I’m trying to march forward…but thank you for the sweet words in what seems like a world of negativity.’
As part of the August 2026 plea agreement, Rycroft avoided a possible 280-day jail sentence. She was instead ordered to pay $2,087 in fines and serve 20 months of probation.
According to records reviewed by Us Weekly, the agreement also required Rycroft to complete 36 hours of community service and attend a DWI education course.
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The court ordered her not to ‘consume or possess any alcoholic beverages’ and to ‘abstain from illegal use, possession, or sale of controlled substances, marijuana or cannabinoids,’ according to the records.
Rycroft also agreed to pay for ‘non-dilute urine samples for testing for controlled substances and cannabis as directed by the court’ and to drive a vehicle equipped with a ‘camera equipped ignition interlock device,’ the records stated.
Rycroft pictured in a mug shot after her September 23, 2025 DWI arrest
Rycroft pictured at an event in New York City in February 2015
Rycroft first gained widespread attention during season 13 of The Bachelor in 2009
Following her September 2025 arrest, attorney Bret Martin issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly emphasizing the presumption of innocence.
‘I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system… every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty,’ Martin said.
‘We, as a society, have gotten completely away from this fundamental concept. My client was arrested on the allegation of driving while intoxicated. An arrest is no indication of guilt.’
Rycroft became widely known after appearing on the 13th season of The Bachelor in 2009. She became engaged to Jason Mesnick on the show, but the relationship ended soon afterward.
She later reunited with Tye Strickland, and the couple married in December 2009.
They have three children: Ava Grace, 15, Beckett Thomas, 12, and Cayson Jack, 10.
Rycroft also competed on the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars in 2009 and returned for the show’s All-Stars edition in 2012.
