‘Southern Charm’ star Thomas Ravenel out of jail after arrest on assault charge

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - "Southern Charm” star Thomas Ravenel is out of jail after his arrest for allegedly assaulting his former nanny.

Ravenel was charged with second degree assault and battery and was booked at 10:11 a.m. into the Al Cannon Detention Center.

At a bond hearing Tuesday afternoon, a judge set a $20,000 personal recognizance bond for Ravenel, meaning he will not have to pay money to get out of jail. The judge also ordered Ravenel to surrender his passport, stay in South Carolina and to avoid contact with the alleged victim.

An affidavit states the charge stems from an incident on Jan. 25, 2015, when Ravenel allegedly assaulted a woman who was working for him as a nanny.

The victim told investigators Ravenel got undressed and put the nanny’s hand on his private parts and then grabbed her private parts. The papers state that the nanny bra’s underwire cut her skin and that she couldn’t breathe because her shirt wrapped around her neck.

The accuser, identified only as Dawn, appeared at the hearing Tuesday, and said she had no idea Ravenel would be arrested Tuesday.

But she said she believes the crime extended beyond assault and battery.

“There’s a need for accountability here," she said. "There’s children involved. Since I was a nanny, a registered nurse now, my main concern is for the health and safety of others, so that’s a priority for me.”

She said Ravenel’s kids and hers were “exposed to constant alcohol and drugs.”

Investigators say they have photographs taken of injuries to her neck and chest and say the photographs were “appropriately time-stamped." They also corroborated the incident date and location through employment records of the victim and Ravenel, the affidavit states.

Bravo confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Ravenel will not return to “Southern Charm” as a cast member next season.

He had previously tweeted earlier this year that he was quitting the Bravo reality show. As of August, he was also under investigation for an alleged rape.

A former state treasurer elected in 2006, he then resigned in 2007 when he pled guilty to a cocaine possession charge.

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