Who is Ronn Owens? Radio host's daughter indicted in alleged fraud after claiming “Bachelor” star Clayton Echard impregnated her in 2023

Ronn Owens' daughter has been indicted in an alleged fraud scheme, related to her claims that Bachelor star Clayton Echard impregnated her in 2023.

According to The Mercury News, Laura Owens was indicted on multiple counts of felony fraud by a grand jury this Tuesday, prosecutors have announced. The 34-year-old previously claimed she was carrying Clayton Echard's twins, and sought to gain child support from him. At the time, she filed a paternity suit against him.

The star refuted the claims and clarified that their previous encounters did not involve intimacy, making it impossible that he was the father of her children. Nonetheless, Owens dropped her lawsuit after she allegedly suffered a miscarriage.

The case was then transferred to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO), which has been looking into the discrepancies in Owens’ testimony.

For the unversed, Ronn Owens, 79, has been serving on the radio for four decades. He kick-started his career in broadcasting in 1968, having worked at WKAT/Miami, WERE/Cleveland and WJW/Cleveland, and WRNG/Atlanta before he joined KGO/San Francisco in 1975.

In 1984, he began hosting The Ronn Owens Show, which has been the station’s top-rated program for 31 years. He retired in December 2021, noting in a post on Facebook at the time that in addition to living with Parkinson’s disease since 2001, he was facing colon cancer and serious heart issues.

“For 48 years, I poured my heart into KGO, sharing stories, sparking conversations, and connecting with you all,” Owens wrote in his post. “It’s been a rough road, and honestly, it’s hard to admit that the financial strain has become overwhelming on top of everything else.” “I never imagined I’d be in this position, but here I am, asking for a little help from the community that has meant so much to me,” he wrote on Facebook at the time.

Everything we know about the charges against Ronn Owens' daughter as Clayton Echard celebrates the "nightmare being over"

According to The Mercury News, prosecutors announced the indictment in Maricopa County, where Laura Owens resides alongside her ailing 79-year-old father at their home in Scottsdale.

District Attorney Rachel Mitchell has revealed that Owens is now facing charges of up to seven counts of fraud, perjury, forgery, and evidence tampering. According to Idaho Statesman, the attorney’s office found that Owens had “altered an ultrasound image, fabricated a pregnancy video, and lied multiple times under oath” between May 2023 and June 2024."

Owens' paternity claims was tried in court in June 2024, with a hearing that saw almost 100 people from all over the country due to Clayton Echard's Bachelor fame. At the time, Owens slammed Judge Mata for the “absurdity” of her ruling.

She penned her grievances in an article published on Medium, contending that her evidence couldn’t be “meaningless” after providing

“multiple at-home tests, a urine pregnancy test done at an urgent care facility, and even a blood test for pregnancy done at a lab.”

She also accused the judge of favoring Clayton Echard due to his fame.

This May 6, Clayton Echard took to Instagram to celebrate “justice has finally been served.” In a clip, he recounted the charges against Owens before saying,

“This nightmare is over.” “I am so ready to not have to think about this anymore,” Echard exclaimed, before thanking the investigators and his legal team for “serving up justice.” “This is just such a weight lifted off,” he continues. “We are so, so thankful. And thank you all for your support. I have not been this happy as a weight of two years lifted off my shoulders.”

Back in June 2024, when the ruling found Owens' testimony to be baseless, Clayton Echard spoke with People Magazine about how he nearly "gave up."

Trending

“There were plenty of times where I felt like I just wanted to give up and not fight because it just was taking up so much of my energy to do so,” he said at the time. “But I just learned that sticking to it and really fighting for yourself. I mean, no one will fight for you like you will,” he added.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback