Darnell Ferguson, host of Food Network's "Superchef Grudge Match," was arrested in Kentucky Tuesday, the Daily Caller reported. The celebrity chef and restauranteur was charged with several crimes, including felony burglary and strangulation.
Ferguson also racked up misdemeanor charges for theft or receipt of stolen credit and debit cards, criminal mischief, assault, making terroristic threats, and menacing. He was incarcerated by the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.
According to an updated report by TMZ, Ferguson was arrested for allegedly attacking his estranged wife in her home. The woman called 911 after Ferguson unlawfully entered her Louisville, Kentucky, residence on Jan. 2.
The woman said he punched the walls but eventually turned to violence against her. Ferguson put his hands around her neck and choked her while threatening to kill her.
He continued to cut off her airway until she passed out from lack of oxygen. The woman said that when she regained consciousness, the brutality continued as Ferguson undressed her and demanded to see her private area.
It was then that Ferguson told his estranged wife that she was his woman only. She told authorities that she feared he would sexually assault her.
Ferguson was not charged with any sex crimes in court, which could indicate that he did not go through with it. However, the woman was examined by law enforcement for injuries, and what they found was sufficient to bring charges.
Besides the physical attack, the "Chopped" star allegedly left with her ID and debit or credit cards as well. Ferguson was arraigned in court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty, Fox News reported.
He was released on $10,000 bond. Ferguson will have to appear in court on Jan. 18 at 9 a.m. as his case proceeds through the courts.
Prior to his legal troubles, Ferguson was a rising star in the television culinary world. He competed in Food Network's "Tournament of Champions" for three seasons and has hosted some of the network's hit shows, including "Supermarket Stakeout" and "Guy's Grocery Games" with Guy Fieri.
There's been no word from the network about Ferguson's future in television. However, the Food Network has dealt with legal troubles among several of its stars in the past.
The most sinister scandal of all involved "Worst Cooks in America" winner Ariel Robinson. The former teacher had won $25,000 on the show but was later sentenced to life in prison for beating her foster daughter to death, the New York Post reported.
Robinson, a former teacher, said she was "frustrated" with three-year-old Victoria “Tori” Rose Smith after she threw up on the way to church. Robinson beat the little girl so severely that her blood vessels burst, leaving her without enough blood to circulate to keep her alive.
While Robinson has already been convicted, Ferguson is considered innocent and will still have his day in court. Still, these kinds of allegations prove that television stardom is not always bestowed on the most moral people.
