Food Network star Darnell Ferguson Faces Charges for Strangulation of Enstranged Wife and Six Other Counts
Accusations of breaking into a residence and strangling a lady with whom he has children led to the arrest of Darnell Ferguson, a famous chef and Food Network personality, near Louisville, Kentucky.
A TMZ-obtained arrest warrant identified the lady as Ferguson's estranged wife. Reportedly, he and Tatahda, his wife, have been married since 2016.
Ferguson was a team coach on season 25 of "Worst Cooks in America," which aired early last year, and he presents "Superchef Grudge Match" on the Food Network. He first became famous as a chef after opening a string of successful restaurants in Louisville.
According to the Louisville Courier Journal, 36-year-old Ferguson entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday in response to seven counts stemming from the alleged assault that occurred on January 2. His bail was set at $10,000.
Ferguson allegedly entered the victim's house in the St. Matthews neighbourhood of Louisville on January 2, punched walls inside, and then started strangling and threatening to murder the lady, as reported by WDRB citing a police report. According to the victim's account to the police, she passed out and regained consciousness to hear Ferguson tell her, "she was his and no one else's."
The victim, a lady, was reportedly transported to a nearby medical facility to get treatment for her wounds. Police officers photographed the woman's wounds, which included scrapes and red markings.
Fox station WDKY in Lexington said that on Tuesday, Ferguson was taken into custody and faces charges of second-degree burglary, first-degree strangulation, fourth-degree domestic violence with slight injury, third-degree terroristic threats, menacing, third-degree criminal mischief, and theft. According to the police, he fled the scene after stealing the woman's identification and credit cards.
According to WDRB, a local Fox station, Ferguson's lawyer said that his client shared three children with the perpetrator. The victim and her counsel informed the court that they had reached an agreement to reduce Ferguson's bail from $20,000 to $10,000. This was done in part to accommodate his need to assist with child care.
The ages of Ferguson's eight children range from two to sixteen, and he is said to have had them with multiple woman.
Ferguson's attorney said on Wednesday that the alleged victim "thinks they can work everything out" and wants the charges dropped. According to Cristin Southard, the county prosecutor, victims of domestic abuse often make this kind of request.
“They may think they want to reconcile but… these are very serious allegations, and we have concerns,” Southard told the outlet. “Recantation, minimizing, those are all parts of the cycle of domestic violence.”
The preliminary hearing for Ferguson was scheduled to take place on January 18th.