Reality TV alum Cashel Barnett has been arrested and jailed on domestic violence charges.
Best known for his appearances on season one of Love Island USA and The Challenge: USA, the 34-year-old was arrested Monday in Salt Lake City, Utah, on charges including assault, aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
Entertainment Weekly reported he was not granted bail as the alleged victim, who is Barnett’s former partner and the mother of their child, said she feared he would try to kill her if he was allowed to leave custody.
According to authorities, Barnett’s former partner made a police report on April 25 about an incident that occurred 15 days earlier.
She claimed they were arguing and that she attempted to calm him down by hugging him. She said he slapped her arms away before following her into a bedroom, where he proceeded to pick her up by the neck with both hands, slam her onto the bed and choke her. She further alleged that Barnett slapped her in the face while telling her: “You’re okay.”
She alleged the incident took place in the presence of their child. She also said that the incident caused her to experience nausea, vomiting, memory loss, headache, trouble swallowing, and difficulty breathing.
A detention hearing for Barnett has been scheduled for Thursday.
Barnett’s attorney Andrew K. Deesing told Entertainment Weekly that his client is cooperating with authorities.
“Upon finding out about the arrest warrant, Mr. Barnett immediately retained counsel and then surrendered on the arrest warrant in Utah’s Third District Court first thing” on Monday morning, said Deesing.
“We are obviously in the very early stages here and won’t have any comment until after that hearing on Thursday,” the lawyer continued.
The Independent has approached representatives for Barnett and Love Island USA for comment.
Barnett, from Sacramento, California, first found fame when he was one of the original cast mates for the first season of Love Island USA, which aired in 2019.
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After entering the Love Island Villa on day one he was briefly paired with Caroline “Caro” Viehweg. He was ultimately dumped from the island on day 20.
He returned to reality television in 2022 when he appeared in the first season of the CBS competition show The Challenge: USA. He starred alongside Kyra Green, who he briefly dated on Love Island, and was eliminated in the second episode.
