Arizona woman charged after faking pregnancy with ‘Bachelor' star Clayton Echard
Laura Michelle Owens, 34, was indicted this week for making false testimony in a paternity suit she filed against Echard that included a fake ultrasound image and a 'fabricated pregnancy video.'
Owens is the daughter of Bay Area radio personality Ronn Owens.
Between May 2023 and June 2024, she also allegedly lied under oath multiple times, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
She filed the paternity suit in 2023, alleging she was pregnant with twins. Echard denied the two had had intercourse.
'Owens originally filed a lawsuit seeking child support from Echard, then dropped her claim, alleging she'd had a miscarriage,' the attorney's office said.
A grand jury handed down a multipart felony indictment on Tuesday charging Owens with one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of forgery, four counts of perjury and one count of tampering with physical evidence.
Echard, who starred on the 26th season of 'The Bachelor' in 2022, posted a a video to social media reacting to the news of the charges against Owens.
'This nightmare is over,' he said. 'I am so ready to not have to think about this anymore.'
'We are so, so thankful, and thank you all for your support,' he added, 'I have not been this happy. This is a weight of two years lifted off my shoulders.'
___
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