On the season premiere of Lifetime’s Prison Brides, 33-year-old Australian hairdresser Erin leaves her child behind to move to the United States so she can be with her soon-to-be released felon bae, 43-year-old Michael.
The show states Michael was serving 8.5 years at the time for robbery, burglary and receiving stolen property. The Ohio Department of Corrections has a slightly different list of convictions that includes robbery, theft, breaking and entering, and receiving stolen property.
There are some issues delaying Michael release during the premiere episode, and he is quite an angry jerk when speaking with Erin about it on the phone. However, he is eventually released, and the result is a very emotional scene in which Michael unites with Erin and his brother Jeremy in the prison parking lot.
Did Erin’s gamble pay off? Was she able to find her happily ever after with Michael? The answer to that question appears to be a resounding “NO!”
Michael arrested for domestic violence
Starcasm can exclusively reveal Michael was arrested on November 14 and charged with domestic violence, menacing by stalking, and disorderly conduct. All of the charges are midemeanors.
Jail records also indicate Michael was charged with a parole violation.
UPDATE – Starcasm spoke with a rep from the county jail where Michael was taken. Here is the statement provided to Starcasm in regards to Michael’s arrest:
He was arrested November 14th 2023 and brought to our jail. We were holding him on a parole violation with the Adult Parole Authority. We released him on November 21st 2023 to the Adult Parole Authority.
Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain a mug shot photo from Michael’s November arrest due to the jail “recently switching booking systems.”
Michael is currently in the custody of the Lorain Correctional Institution, and has been since January 9. The mug shot photo in this article is the most recent from Michael’s entry on the ODOC website.
UPDATE – The 3 charges against Michael stemming from his November arrest were dismissed in May of 2024. According to VINE, Michael was released on parole again on July 5, 2024.
Michael’s arrest details
According to court documents, police were called on November 14 about an incident that occurred the day before. The officer states the alleged victim told him she “had been in a romantic relationship with the defendant for (approximately) 3 years, and that the two had been residing together for several months” prior to the incident.
According to the alleged victim, Michael took a swing at her and missed. “But the victim felt that he was trying to hurt her when he swung at her,” the officer adds.
More from the court document:
After this, the defendant had driven his vehicle at her like he was going to hit her (but did not actually hit her). The defendant’s actions caused the victim to feel that he was imminently going to cause her harm.
Michael’s swinging at the victim, and his driving at her, was also witnessed by his 14 year old nephew, who gave a verbal statement.
Police contacted Michael and he “denied wrongdoing,” according to the officer.
The address where the alleged altercation took place is associated with Michael’s brother, Jeremy, who was present for the filming of Michael’s release for Prison Brides. Michael’s address is listed as a nearby apartment complex.
The alleged victim’s name has been redacted from the court documents and the police reports. However, the timeline certainly seems to line up with Erin and Michael’s relationship.
The ODOC website states Michael was placed under parole supervision on July 18, 2023. Even if he had to spend some time in a halfway house, that would still mean he and Erin could have been living together for “several months” prior to the incident, as the alleged victim stated.
Warrant issued for Michael’s arrest
Michael’s arraignment was on November 28. According to the court dockets, “defendant failed to appear for arraignment.”
The docket entry adds that a warrant was to be issued with bond set at $3,000. It appears the warrant was issued for Michael’s arrest on November 29.
It’s unclear what will happen with the recent charges given the fact that Michael is currently back in prison on a parole violation.
The alleged domestic violence incident and Michael’s resulting arrest was roughly two months ago, so I believe it’s likely to be included on Season One of Prison Brides. To find out if that is the case, tune in for new episodes airing Wednesday nights at 9:30/8:30c on Lifetime!
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
