‘Bachelorette’ Alum James McCoy Taylor Accused of Tackling & Groping College Student

Avery Thompson August 12, 2024, 4:09 pm

James McCoy Taylor on Instagram — Instagram

The Bachelorette Season 12 alum James McCoy Taylor was arrested on August 4 in College Station, Texas, and a new probable cause warrant is shedding light on the shocking accusations against him.

According to the warrant, obtained by PEOPLE, he “intentionally or knowingly by force, intimidation or deception, restrain[ed] [a woman] without her consent by restricting the moments of the said [woman], by shoving her to the ground, getting on top of her and using his body weight to prevent her from getting off the ground.”

Local outlet KBTX alleged that the victim was a 19-year-old Blinn College student, but her name was not in the warrant. Taylor, who is 38, and the woman met at Manziel’s Money Bar before heading to Taylor’s condo. After the woman “changed her mind and wanted to leave,” Taylor allegedly “tackled and got on top of her,” but she was eventually “able to escape and flee the scene before she called the police department.”

In the probable cause document, the woman claimed that Taylor “groped her vagina” and “used his body weight to hold her down and kiss her more” before she was able to leave.

Detective Gregory Blankenship Jr. noted in the document that he saw “photos of multiple contusions on the victim’s hip and left side of her buttocks.” When the detective spoke with Taylor about the incident, the 38-year-old allegedly told him the encounter was “enjoyable and consensual” and “denied having shoved the victim down and getting on top of her.” The detective believed Taylor was “not being truthful.”

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Taylor was charged with assault causing bodily injury and unlawful restraint. He was released on the same day as his August 4 arrest on a $8,000 cash bond.

“I’m a pretty big guy but I was trying to ‘unlawfully restraining’ a girl and she just … got away?… and walked right to her Uber right outside my house? With NO injuries? I would never hurt anybody. I’m nice to EVERY person I meet,” Taylor said in a statement to PEOPLE regarding the accusations.

Taylor was previously arrested in 2022 on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He was later found guilty. According to KBTX, police noted in their report that Taylor had an 18-year-old “college freshman companion” in his vehicle.