Chaos erupted in Oregon after Zachery Ty Bryan’s fiancée, Johnnie Faye Cartwright, landed in front of a judge just days after she and the ‘Home Improvement’ actor were both busted in a dramatic double arrest. The latest twist? Cartwright—who shares three young children with Bryan—walked into a courtroom on December 1 and pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges tied to a harrowing November 29 incident.
Sources reveal the 32-year-old was slammed with accusations of DUI, multiple counts of reckless endangerment, and reckless driving, all linked to a wild confrontation between the couple. Although initially hit with a felony attempted assault charge and booked on three endangerment counts, court documents now show those assault-related charges didn’t stick. Still, Cartwright is cooling her heels behind bars, according to the latest booking reports.
The judge came down hard, assigning Cartwright a public defender and issuing a no contact order—meaning she now must steer clear of Bryan, thanks to a domestic violence-related mandate. All of this while Bryan, 44, sits in jail himself, having violated his probation from an earlier domestic violence conviction after being nabbed on fourth-degree assault charges the very same day. He’s not going anywhere either, with authorities holding him without bail until his expected release on December 3.
Lane County Sheriff’s Department took to Facebook to lay out the jaw-dropping details: At around 12:30 p.m. on November 29, deputies raced out to the Big Fall Creek Road area after reports of wild driving. There, they found Bryan, Cartwright, and their three small kids in a pickup. According to police, as tempers flared, Bryan got out and started hoofing it down the road. Cartwright reportedly tried to mow him down, the truck—with all three kids still inside—careening into a ditch. Luckily, Bryan dodged out of harm’s way, and miraculously, no one was injured. Deputies said both parents showed signs of intoxication and, adding to the drama, Bryan wasn’t even supposed to be near Cartwright due to a previous court order.
Now, both partners are facing the consequences as Cartwright fights her charges and Bryan faces another stint behind bars—a domestic drama playing out in full public view.
