Zachery Ty Bryan’s fiancée, Johnnie Faye Cartwright, was arraigned on Monday, Dec. 1, two days after she and the former Home Improvement actor were arrested in Oregon.
According to court records, Cartwright entered a not guilty plea to one count of driving under the influence, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and three counts of reckless driving.
Jail records from the time of her arrest listed slightly different allegations: one count of driving under the influence, three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of reckless driving — all misdemeanors — along with a single felony count of attempted assault.
After Cartwright’s court appearance, records show that the assault charge and two of the reckless endangering counts were later “cleared.” Booking information indicates she remains in custody.
During her hearing, Cartwright was appointed a public defender. The judge also issued a no-contact order related to domestic violence, which appears connected to Bryan’s arrest the same weekend.
Per his jail records, Bryan, 44, was charged on Nov. 29 with fourth-degree assault, a violation of his probation stemming from an earlier domestic violence conviction. He is being held without bail and is scheduled for release on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
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The Lane County Sheriff’s Department outlined the alleged incident in a Facebook post shortly before Cartwright’s arraignment. Deputies said they responded around 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 29 to a report of reckless endangering near milepost 5 on Big Fall Creek Road, a popular camping spot northeast of Lowell.
Authorities said Bryan and Cartwright, both of Eugene, were traveling in a pickup truck with their three young children when Bryan got out and began walking along the road. Investigators allege Cartwright then tried to run him over, instead driving the truck — with the children inside — into a ditch. Bryan was able to move out of the way and was not hurt, and no injuries were reported among the children in the vehicle.
Deputies said they interviewed both adults and observed signs of impairment in each, and also spoke with witnesses at the scene. They added that, under a prior court order, Bryan was not allowed to have contact with Cartwright.
Following additional investigation, deputies arrested Cartwright on suspicion of first-degree attempted assault, three counts of reckless endangering and driving under the influence of intoxicants. Bryan was arrested for violating his probation on an original fourth-degree assault charge. The children were placed in the care of a family member.
Cartwright and Bryan have been engaged since November 2021 and share three children together: daughter Kennedy, 3, and 2-year-old twins Parker and Sequoia. The couple has been entangled in multiple legal issues over the years.
In 2020, Bryan was arrested after allegedly strangling his then-girlfriend at an Oregon residence. That woman was Cartwright, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He later pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor domestic violence counts and received a sentence of 36 months’ probation.
In 2023, Bryan was charged with fourth-degree felony assault, third-degree robbery and misdemeanor harassment. Lane County’s chief deputy district attorney Chris Parosa said at the time that Bryan ultimately pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony assault involving domestic violence. He was sentenced to seven days in jail.
Parosa explained that a second count was dismissed as part of a negotiated agreement that allowed Bryan to receive a reduced sentence: 36 months of supervised probation, seven days in jail, standard domestic violence conditions and a prohibition on contacting the victim without approval from his probation officer, instead of a potential 19 to 20 months in custody. Local outlet KEZI previously reported that his probation is set to run until October 2026.
Bryan was also arrested twice on DUI charges in 2024, first in February and again in October. In January 2025, he was arrested once more, this time in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on second-degree domestic violence charges.
According to a police report from that incident, Cartwright told officers she had been assaulted by Bryan. She said the two lived together, shared children and alleged that Bryan choked her and punched her in the face multiple times. She also stated that other people were inside the home when the incident occurred.
Cartwright has publicly expressed support for Bryan in the past. In a 2023 statement to Us Weekly, she said she wanted what was best for the father of her children and spoke about how trauma can manifest in many ways. She suggested that public accounts of their situation might not reflect the full truth and asked for privacy so that their families — and especially their children — could focus on healing.
