‘Bachelor’ Alum Clayton Echard Targeted in Fake Pregnancy Scheme by Arizona Woman, Authorities Report
A woman from Arizona reportedly created a fake pregnancy video and ultrasound to falsely accuse former “Bachelor” contestant Clayton Echard of fathering her child, according to law enforcement officials.
Laura Michelle Owens, 34, residing in Scottsdale, is facing a seven-count indictment after allegedly giving false testimony as part of a “paternity scheme,” as stated by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Arizona.
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NBC News attempted to contact Owens but did not receive a reply.
The investigation into Owens, who is the daughter of radio host Ronn Owens, began in July 2024 after she made “multiple inconsistent statements” during a paternity hearing that involved Echard as the alleged father.
The statements from Owens came after she initiated a lawsuit for child support against Echard but later retracted the claim, stating that she had a miscarriage, the office reported.
From May 2023 to June 2024, Owens allegedly “altered an ultrasound image, fabricated a pregnancy video, and committed perjury multiple times,” the office indicated.
Owens faces several felony charges related to this scheme, including fraudulent schemes, forgery, perjury, and tampering with physical evidence, according to the office.
Echard, a former college football player who appeared in Season 26 of the ABC reality dating show, reacted to Owens’ indictment in an upbeat selfie video he shared on May 6 across his social media channels.
“This nightmare is over,” Echard stated in the video. “I am so ready to move on from this.”
The former reality star expressed his gratitude to his lawyers and the detectives who worked on the case, stating they helped “serve justice.”
Echard captioned his Instagram video, “Justice has finally been served!! Thank you all for your continued support in helping me seek justice. It has been a long, exhausting journey, but we have finally reached our goal.”
“It’s nothing but celebratory dance moves for the foreseeable future from here on out,” he concluded.
