by AMY FEINSTEIN || Ironically, today is “national redhead day,” and it turned out to be a bad one for Thomas Ravenel – who will be forced to stand trial on allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman who served as the nanny of the two children he has fathered with reality television co-star Kathryn Calhoun Dennis.
As FITSNews reported last week, a hearing was held in Charleston County, South Carolina on Monday morning to determine whether there was sufficient evidence for the assault case against disgraced ex-politician to proceed to trial.
There was …
On September 25th, Ravenel was arrested at his Daniel Island rental home and charged with assault and battery in the second degree – news exclusively reported by FITSNews. Ravenel is accused of assaulting his children’s nanny, known as Nanny Dawn for these purposes, on January 15, 2015 in his Charlotte Street rental.
[su_dominion_video_scb]The probable cause affidavit shared some of the graphic details alleged by the nanny.
“The defendant grabbed the victim’s hand and placed it on his penis before attempting to remove the victim’s clothing,” the affidavit read. “While (Ravenel attempted) to remove the victim’s clothing, the victim’s underwire bra cut into her skin and her shirt wrapped around her neck, which caused the victim to struggle to breathe.”
Here is more of the narrative from the affidavit …
The defendant pulled down the victim’s pants and said, “Show me your pussy,” and began grabbing at the victim’s vagina. The victim crouched down to the ground to try and prevent further assault, and the defendant then put his penis in her face and asked, “Do you like big dicks?” After escaping the assault, the victim called her then ex-husband and sister and told them of the incident, fled the scene and notified several family members of the incident. Photographs were then taken immediately of the injuries to her neck and chest.
Detectives in Charleston said they were able to corroborate the incident date and substantiate “post-assault information” from multiple witnesses. They also indicated that they had “retrieved photographs taken by the victim, which are appropriately time-stamped in reference to the incident.”
The victim also affirmatively identified Ravenel as her alleged attacker.
Ravenel did not attend the preliminary hearing on Monday. Instead, he was represented by his lawyer – Cameron Blazer. Prosecutors with the S.C. ninth circuit solicitor’s office were in attendance, was there representing the prosecutor’s office, and Ryan C. Andrews was in attendance as he is the lawyer representing the Ravenel nanny.
The lead detective in the case, detective Christopher Malinowski said that he was able to verify that just after the alleged assault, Nanny Dawn told her husband, her daughter, her sister, and perhaps most importantly Dennis, the mother of Ravenel’s two children.
According to the Charleston clerk of the court’s website, the next court date for Ravenel is scheduled for November 16 at 2:00 p.m. EST.
Amy Feinstein is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and has been writing professionally for 25 years. She has a degree in English literature and a degree in British history. Amy enjoys writing about entertainment, sports, lifestyle, television and movies. When not at the computer, Amy can be found in the garden or at yoga class.