'Southern Charm': Has ousted cast member Thomas Ravenel come with clean hands after sexual assault charges?
Former 'Southern Charm' star Thomas Ravenel has an interesting back story that led him to be off the Bravo-backed show. He was canceled by the network following assault allegations brought against him by his kids' nanny Dawn Ledwell. In 2019, Thomas pleaded guilty to third degree assault and battery but was able to avoid jail time. He was given a 30-day suspended sentence, and a $500 fine.
Ledwell, in a chat with Page Six, said that she had highlighted the issues once she spotted other women coming forward with their sexual assault allegations against Thomas. The nanny claimed that she was cleaning up former South Carolina treasurer's home when the lights went off. She asked Thomas if he could switch on the lights as she couldn't see anything in the dark. He didn't. Instead, walked up to her and attempted to kiss her, but she pulled her face away. "I don’t know if he felt rejected or what, but he went to hug me and I can’t hug him back because I got these bottles and towels in my hand," she told the publication. She added: "It escalated from there where he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Although it wasn’t penile penetration, what he did do was identified by the law as first-degree forcible rape.” Later, Thomas apologized to her at the court and said that he had grabbed her arm while trying to kiss and that was "wrong".
Interestingly, the same year (2015) in which the Dawn-Thomas incident occured, he got involved with two other women who had levelled similar charges against him. Real estate agent Ashley Perkins told People that her mother, Debbie Holloway Perkins, went on a date after meeting with Thomas on a dating app. Ashley said that he took her to his home to give him a tour and she agreed. That's where it all started to spiral out of control. "That’s when he turned on her. He pushes my mom onto the nanny’s bed, grabs her wrist with one hand, then he starts trying to pull her pants off. And she’s like ‘No, no, no, stop’. He stuck his fingers inside of her vagina as well as her anus. She told me that he held her hands back with one arm and then pulled his penis out and shoved it in her face,” Ashley informed the publication.
Debbie didn't press charges and went for mediation instead. They settled the matter for $200,000, Ashley confirmed. So, has Thomas' tryst with the law ended or is there more to it? Currently, he is neck-deep in custody battle with ex-girlfriend Kathryn Dennis. Catch the 'Southern Charm' Season 7 premiere on Bravo on Thursday, October 29. For more information, check your local listings.
