James Taylor of The Bachelorette: Assault Plea and Re-Arrest

Former Bachelorette contestant James McCoy Taylor’s assault case ended with a guilty plea in April 2025 to assaulting and unlawfully restraining a 19-year-old Blinn College student, followed by 18 months of deferred adjudication. He did not complete it. In February 2026 a Brazos County court moved to revoke his probation over unpaid fines, and he was re-arrested in March 2026, reopening the door to a formal conviction and jail time.

What Happened That Night

The incident took place on April 24, 2024, according to a probable cause warrant obtained by KBTX. Taylor, then 38, met the 19-year-old woman at a bar in College Station’s Northgate Entertainment District and the two went back to a condominium on West 22nd Street in Bryan where he was staying.¹

The woman told police that after they kissed, Taylor’s demeanor turned “very serious and intense” and his expression frightened her. She went to the bathroom, texted a friend, and ordered an Uber. When she came out, Taylor was nude, according to the police report. She tried to leave. The warrant states that Taylor slammed the front door shut, forcibly kissed her, threw her to the ground, used his body weight to hold her down, and groped her before she broke free and reached her waiting Uber.¹²

Bryan police documented multiple contusions on the woman’s hip and buttocks. They also recovered the text messages she sent to a friend during the encounter, including “Please come get me,” “I’m not ok,” and “He’s forcing himself on me.”¹

Charges, Arrest, and Taylor’s Denial

The Bryan Police Department filed charges of assault causing bodily injury and unlawful restraint. Taylor was arrested on August 4, 2024, at a bar in the Northgate district, booked into the Brazos County Detention Center, and released on bonds totaling $8,000.¹

Taylor denied the allegations publicly. He told People, “I’m a pretty big guy but I was trying to ‘unlawfully restrain’ a girl and she just … got away? … and walked right to her Uber right outside my house? With NO injuries?” He added, “I would never hurt anybody.”² In an earlier statement to KBTX, he called the encounter “enjoyable and consensual” and said that if injuries existed, they would be “all over the internet.”¹

The Guilty Plea and Deferred Adjudication

On April 9, 2025, Taylor pleaded guilty in a Brazos County courtroom to both counts: assault causing bodily injury and unlawful restraint.³ Instead of imposing a sentence, the court placed him on deferred adjudication for 18 months. Under that arrangement, successful completion of every condition can leave a defendant without a final conviction on the record.⁴

The conditions imposed on Taylor were:

80 hours of community service
A $750 fine and $350 in court costs, with additional fees bringing his total obligation to $1,184
Mandatory anger management classes
A no-contact order barring any contact with the victim
A ban from the Northgate Entertainment District, where he had met her

Probation Revocation and the 2026 Re-Arrest

Taylor did not finish his 18 months. On February 17, 2026, the court revoked his probation and issued an arrest warrant. Court records tie the revocation to unpaid fines: of the $1,184 he owed, Taylor had paid $884, leaving a $300 balance. He made an $80 payment on March 18, 2026, shortly before he was taken into custody.⁵

Prosecutors also filed a motion to proceed with adjudication of guilt in February 2026, which is the formal mechanism for converting a deferred adjudication into a final conviction and sentence.⁴ Taylor was booked into the Brazos County Jail on March 20, 2026, and released the same day after posting a $10,000 surety bond.²

What Taylor Now Faces

As of late March 2026, the Brazos County Attorney’s Office said a hearing would be held to let Taylor’s attorneys argue his case before possible sentencing on the original assault charges.⁶ Because the deferred adjudication is being revoked rather than merely modified, the court can enter a formal conviction and impose sentencing up to the statutory maximum. Under Texas law, assault causing bodily injury is a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $4,000; unlawful restraint is also a Class A misdemeanor by default.³ No public reporting has confirmed the outcome of that hearing.

Who James McCoy Taylor Is

Taylor is a pop-country singer-songwriter from Katy, Texas, who competed on Season 12 of The Bachelorette in 2016, starring JoJo Fletcher. He reached the top five before being eliminated ahead of hometown dates.⁶ He added “McCoy” to his professional name to distinguish himself from the folk-rock musician James Taylor.⁷

1
KBTX. James McCoy Taylor Charged With Restraining, Assaulting 19-Year-Old College Student
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People. Bachelorette Alum James McCoy Taylor Arrested Again One Year After Assault Case
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KBTX. Former Bachelorette Contestant James Taylor Ordered to Stay Out of Northgate Following Assault
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Entertainment Weekly. Former Bachelorette Star James Taylor Re-Arrested on Assault Charges in Texas
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Entertainment Weekly. Former Bachelorette Star James Taylor Re-Arrested on Assault Charges in Texas
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USA Today. James McCoy Taylor Bachelorette Assault
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Houston Chronicle. Ballad of The Bachelorette James McCoy Taylor