Zachery Ty Bryan, famous for playing Brad Taylor on the hit 90s show “Home Improvement,” was arrested this past weekend alongside his fiancée, Johnnie Faye Cartwright. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon reported that the incident involved Cartwright allegedly attempting to hit Bryan with their pickup truck while their three small children were inside. This event marks Bryan’s sixth arrest in five years and adds another serious chapter to the former child star’s long history of legal problems.
According to the official statement from authorities, the couple was driving with their children in the Lowell, Oregon, area when Bryan got out of the vehicle and began walking down the road. Police say Cartwright then “attempted to run over Bryan” but missed, crashing the truck into a ditch instead. Bryan was not hurt, and no one inside the vehicle was injured.
Deputies who spoke with Bryan and Cartwright observed signs that both were impaired. Authorities also stated that Bryan was under a court order from a prior domestic violence case that prohibited him from having contact with Cartwright. Bryan was arrested for violating the terms of his probation. Cartwright was arrested and faces several charges, including Attempted Assault in the First Degree, Reckless Driving, and Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII). The couple’s three children were placed in the care of a family member.
The Arrest Details And Official Charges
The arrest happened on Saturday, November 29, 2025, around 12:30 p.m. near Big Fall Creek Road, a popular camping area northeast of Lowell, Oregon. Lane County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of reckless endangerment.
Official jail records list the specific charges against Johnnie Faye Cartwright. She is being held on six counts. The charges include driving under the influence, reckless driving, and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. Two of the reckless endangerment charges and one charge for attempt to commit a crime have been marked as “Cleared” in the system, indicating they may have been dropped or modified after the initial booking. Her most severe charge is for attempted assault.
Zachery Ty Bryan was booked for a probation violation. This violation is connected to a 2023 conviction where he pleaded guilty to felony assault in the fourth degree, a domestic violence charge. As part of his sentence from that case, Bryan was placed on 36 months of supervised probation and was ordered not to contact the victim, who was Johnnie Faye Cartwright, without permission from his probation officer. His arrest this weekend was for allegedly breaking that no-contact order. Bryan is being held without bail but is scheduled for release on Wednesday, December 3.
Zachery Ty Bryan’s History Of Legal Troubles
This recent arrest is part of a long and serious pattern for the 44-year-old actor. Over the last five years, Bryan has been arrested six times, with most incidents involving allegations of domestic violence or impaired driving.
His legal issues began in 2020 when he was arrested on suspicion of felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault during a dispute with a girlfriend at the time. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to felony assault against Johnnie Faye Cartwright. He was sentenced to probation for that crime, which is the probation he is now accused of violating.
The year 2024 saw two separate arrests for driving under the influence—one in California in February and another in Oklahoma in October. Then, in January of 2025, he was arrested again in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on suspicion of second-degree domestic violence. The victim in that South Carolina case was also Johnnie Faye Cartwright, who told police she and Bryan “live together and have children in common”.
Despite this turbulent history and a court order to stay away, Bryan and Cartwright have remained together. They got engaged in November 2021 and have had three children since his 2023 guilty plea. The couple has a daughter, born in April 2022, and twins born in May 2023.
Who Is Johnnie Faye Cartwright?
Johnnie Faye Cartwright is a 32-year-old woman from Eugene, Oregon. She is the fiancée of Zachery Ty Bryan and the mother of three of his seven children. Before this incident, she has largely stayed out of the public eye, though she was the victim in Bryan’s prior domestic violence case.
In August 2023, after Bryan pleaded guilty to assaulting her, Cartwright released a statement to the press. She expressed a complicated loyalty to him as the father of her children.
“I’ll always want what’s best for the father of my children,” Cartwright said. “I ask everyone to please be respectful of our privacy for the sake of the children and our families so the healing process can begin.”
Public reaction on social media to the couple’s latest arrest has been mixed. Some comments express concern for the children’s safety, with one person asking, “what happened to the kid?”. Others show frustration with the ongoing cycle of arrests, with one social media user noting, “Dude get locked up every month”. Another commenter speculated about Cartwright’s actions, writing, “She was probably trying to protect herself and her kids from this crazy person!”.
The Children And Family Situation
The most pressing concern from authorities and the public is the welfare of the children involved. Bryan and Cartwright’s three small children were in the pickup truck during the alleged attempted hitting incident. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the children were not physically hurt when the truck crashed into the ditch.
After their parents’ arrest, the children were placed with a family member. This is not the first time the children have been exposed to volatile situations between their parents. The January 2025 arrest in South Carolina also involved a domestic dispute in their home.
Zachery Ty Bryan also has four older children from his previous marriage to Carly Matros. Bryan and Matros were married for 13 years before separating in 2020.
Career Context And Past Co-Star’s Comments
Zachery Ty Bryan is best known for his role as Brad Taylor, the eldest son on the ABC sitcom “Home Improvement,” which starred Tim Allen and aired from 1991 to 1999. After the show ended, his acting career slowed down. He retired from acting for a period but had a small role in the 2022 Netflix series The Guardians of Justice.
His former co-star and on-screen father, Tim Allen, was asked about Bryan’s troubles in a 2022 interview. Allen expressed a sense of distance and concern.
“I don’t know what’s going on with him. Zach is a great kid who has grown into a complex man. All you can do is step aside and let somebody go through their process. At a certain point, he deviated from the guy I know to somebody who is reacting to situations that I had nothing to do with and can’t control.”
As of Monday, December 1, both Bryan and Cartwright remained in custody at the Lane County Jail. Bryan is scheduled for a release on December 3, while Cartwright’s release information is not yet clear. Their next court dates have not been publicly announced. The Lane County District Attorney’s office will handle the filing of formal charges based on the police investigation.
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Credits: New York Post, Los Angeles Times, Us Magazine
