UPDATE: Thomas Ravenel appeared in Charleston County court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and third-degree battery.
The Charleston County court clerk told E! News the Southern Charm star has a 30-day suspended sentence and has to pay a $500 fine.
According to local news station Live 5 WCSC, a judge read a letter from the victim, who was not in the South Carolina courtroom, and Ravenel acknowledged his behavior.
“Your honor, on the night of the incident I did attempt to kiss her and, in so doing, I grabbed her arm and that was wrong, and I am much appreciative of the opportunity to apologize to her in court today,” Ravenel said, per the news outlet.
Back in September 2018, Ravenel was arrested for assault and battery and accused of sexually assaulting his family’s former nanny in 2015.
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Thomas Ravenel has been arrested.
The Southern Charm alum was booked around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning in Charleston County, S.C. on charges of alleged assault and battery second degree, according to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office inmate records.
Ravenel was later given a $20,000 personal recognizance bond and, as a condition of the bond, surrendered his passport, a Charleston court official confirmed to E! News. The reality star must remain within South Carolina until further notice and will need written permission to leave.
He has also been ordered not to have any contact with the unidentified victim in the case in any way, including verbal, electronic, written or through a third party, and must stay at least one block away from the victim’s residence, school and place of employment.
E! News has reached out to Ravenel’s attorney for comment.
According to an affidavit filed on Monday, the investigating officer testified that the unnamed victim was working as a nanny for Ravenel in Charleston in January 2015 when he allegedly undressed and made sexual advances toward her. The officer testified that Ravenel allegedly “grabbed the victim’s hand and placed it on his penis” before attempting to remove her clothes. In the process, the unnamed victim’s underwire bra “cut into her skin and her shirt wrapped around her neck,” which made her struggle to breathe. Per the officer’s testimony, Ravenel allegedly “pulled down the victim’s pants,” said “Show me your p—y,” and began to grab at her vagina.
According to the affidavit, Ravenel allegedly put his penis in the victim’s face while she was crouched down to the ground and asked her if she liked “big d–ks.” The victim escaped and notified her then-ex-husband and family members. Her injuries were photographed and she identified Ravenel as her assailant in a photo.
Ravenel, who spent five seasons on the Bravo series before announcing his exit in August, has also been accused of sexual assault by two women. Following the public allegations, he did not appear for the Southern Charm reunion taping, which aired in July.
“Along with Bravo, our client made the mutual decision not to attend today’s reunion taping as there is a pending investigation,” Andy Cohen read in a statement at the time. “Our client is fully cooperating with authorities on that investigation. He expects to be completely vindicated once the investigation is concluded. He sends his best regards to his fans and his fellow castmates.”
Charleston County
In May, Ashley Perkins publicly claimed that her mother, Debbie Hollaway Perkins, met Ravenel via Tinder and went on a date with him on Dec. 25, when he allegedly held her down by her wrists, pulled his penis out and “shoved” his fingers into her private parts. Perkins, who said she did not witness the alleged incident, detailed the claims on her website and to Fox News.
Ravenel’s attorney, Richard P. Terbrusch, told E! News in a statement, “My client enjoys a certain degree of fame and unfortunately has become—unfairly—a target for an individual who has, in my opinion, dubious motivations.”
Perkins also said that her mother told her about the alleged incident immediately after it took place and took photos of her wrists. Ashley claimed Gloria Allred (who had no comment when reached by Fox News) took on her mother’s case in June 2016 and met for mediation with Ravenel’s legal team, for which Ashley claimed she was present. Ashley alleged that Ravenel settled with her mother for $200,000 and that her mother signed a non-disclosure agreement.
In a statement to E! News at the time, Bravo said, “Haymaker, the production company for Southern Charm, and Bravo take allegations like these very seriously. Haymaker is conducting an investigation, and once all the information is gathered and carefully reviewed, appropriate action will be taken.”
After hearing Perkins’ story of her mother, Ravenel’s former nanny for his two children, known as “Nanny Dawn” to fans of the show, also came forward with allegations against the reality star stemming from an incident in 2015 and filed a report with the Charleston Police Department in May. At the time, she told People that he is being investigated for ”first-degree forcible rape.”
“We are aware of the City of Charleston’s ongoing investigation of the allegations made by Dawn Ledwell,” Terbrusch told E! News in a statement. “Rather than engage in a media tit-for-tat, we have offered our cooperation in the investigation and are confident that when the truth comes out Thomas will be vindicated.”
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)third de