Zachery Ty Bryan, famous for his role in Home Improvement, has admitted guilt to a felony assault charge and is now facing a seven-day jail term. In an Oregon courtroom appearance, Bryan addressed multiple charges, including fourth-degree felony assault, third-degree robbery, and harassment, all stemming from his July 28 arrest. The Chief Deputy District Attorney for Lane County, Chris Parosa, confirmed that the 42-year-old former child actor pled guilty to fourth-degree felony assault as a case of domestic violence during his court appearance
Parosa explained that Bryan’s second charge was dropped as part of an agreed-upon resolution. Instead of facing a possible 19-20 months behind bars, he received a reduced sentence, which included 36 months of supervised probation, a 7-day jail term, standard domestic violence requirements, and permission to have contact with the victim only with the probation officer’s approval, as outlined by Parosa.
He will also be mandated to seek assistance for his “alcohol/substance abuse issues” and abstain from the consumption of “alcohol or drugs,” according to Parosa.
In the event that the TV personality were to breach any conditions of his agreement, he would be liable to serve the 19-20 months of prison time that the court had initially suspended.
Bryan’s legal counsel, John Kolego from Kolego & Kraushaar, did not reply to PEOPLE‘s request for a statement. In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, Kolego stated: “Mr. Bryan decided to accept this resolution and admit that he recklessly caused physical injury to his domestic partner to avoid further trauma to his family so they could move on and heal.”
Back in July, the Eugene Police Department released a statement to PEOPLE concerning Bryan’s arrest.
“At around 6:00 p.m. on July 28, Eugene Police received a report of a physical dispute between a male and adult female at a north Eugene residence,” the statement read. “The dispute was reported to have occurred several hours prior and the suspect, identified as Zachery Ty Bryan, age 41, of Laguna Beach, California, had left the location.”
The statement concluded, “Eugene Police subsequently contacted Bryan in the area. Bryan was lodged at Lane County Jail on a charge of Assault in the Fourth Degree APA (Abuse Prevention Act).”
After the announcement, Johnnie Faye Cartwright, Bryan’s fiancée, expressed her support for him during his continuing legal challenges. The 30-year-old model mentioned that she will “always want what’s best for the father of my children.”
“Trauma can bring struggles in many shapes and forms,” she told Us Weekly at the time. “It’s a horrible situation that’s going to be spun in so many ways. I’ve learned firsthand the truth will never align with what’s been put out there.”
Cartwright, who is a parent to three children with the actor, added, “I ask everyone to please be respectful of our privacy for the sake of the children and our families so the healing process can begin.”
Bryan was discharged from confinement one week later. His attorney conveyed in a statement to PEOPLE at that time: “Presumption of innocence is extremely important and people should withhold judgment until they see what the actual facts are.”
In 2020, Bryan had been formerly accused of a comparable assault charge for allegedly strangling a woman. In 2021, he entered a guilty plea for two misdemeanor counts. Lane County District Attorney Patricia Perlow disclosed at that time, “He was sentenced to 36 months of bench probation, with conditions of probation including the program Bridges2Safety and no contact with the victim as well as the other standard conditions in a domestic violence sentencing.”
The Lane County District Attorney decided to dismiss additional charges arising from the 2020 incident, some of which were categorized as felonies. The District Attorney told PEOPLE, “While Mr. Bryan was charged with additional crimes, including two class C felonies, it is in the interest of closure for the victim and in recognition of the backlog of cases we have due to COVID restrictions that make me believe this resolution is in the interest of justice.”
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Bryan acknowledged that his 2020 arrest was connected to an altercation with Cartwright. The former Home Improvement star noted that the 2020 incident had been exaggerated.
“We didn’t even really get that physical. We got really loud. We were screaming and because we were in a townhome that had [thin walls], everybody could hear,” he said.
Discussing his earlier marriage to Carly Matros, he went on, “Johnnie was, at the time, just really upset about my situation. At the end of the day, [the police] throw a bunch of counts at you because they ultimately want you to plead to something. I could’ve fought it … but that’s more stress and drama. I got two misdemeanors and called it a day.”
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