Bachelor Star on 'Paternity Scheme': 'Nightmare Is Over'

Clayton Echard, star of Season 26 of The Bachelor, says he never had sex with a woman who claimed she was pregnant with his children. But Arizona resident Laura Michelle Owens had more than just claims made under oath. The 34-year-old allegedly offered an ultrasound image and video she said proved she was pregnant with twins as part of a lawsuit seeking child support. Prosecutors now say that evidence was fabricated. For a year leading up to June 2024, "Owens altered an ultrasound image, fabricated a pregnancy video, and lied multiple times under oath," says the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which on Tuesday charged Owens with seven felony counts as part of a "paternity scheme," per NBC News.

Echard said he met up with Owens in the Phoenix area after breaking up with Susie Evans, who appeared on The Bachelor, in the fall of 2022. "Some things happened, but there was no sexual intercourse," he told KPNX last year. He said he told Owens that their relationship couldn't continue, and she didn't take it well. Exactly 11 days later, she claimed she was pregnant, Echard said. He said she then presented a "contract" stating she would get an abortion if the pair dated for at least a week and it didn't work out—but that she'd have the child if Echard refused to date her. Echard said she also produced an ultrasound video, which he traced to an old YouTube video.

After repeated paternity tests showed "little to no fetal DNA," Owens claimed she miscarried and filed a motion to dismiss her suit, per KPNX. But a judge determined she'd presented a false claim, perhaps not for the first time. In a 2021 case, a man accused Owens of faking a pregnancy and sharing altered sonograms. The case was dismissed as no baby resulted. Echard said he learned of multiple men Owens allegedly targeted with paternity schemes. With Tuesday's indictment, the former University of Missouri football player was overjoyed. "I have not been this happy," he said in a video message, per NBC. "This nightmare is over," he added, per Today. Owens counters that the charges "appear to be the product of intense public pressure" and are "based on narrative rather than fact," per KPNX. (More The Bachelor stories.)