Just last week, Ben Rathbun defended his reputation to viewers who have taken issue with his on-screen behavior.
Unfortunately, it appears that he should have been more attentive to his life off-camera.
Early Tuesday morning, the 90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days star was arrested.
He was charged with a for driving while intoxicated and with a suspended license. And that's not the weird part. ...
Beware the Ides of March.
TMZ reports that on Tuesday, March 15, Ben Rathbun was booked in Michigan.
The OUI (operating while under the influence of alcohol) and driving with a suspended license charges were initially unclear.
The 90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days Season 5 cast member's bond was set at $10,000.
While the circumstances of the arrest were initially a mystery, this was in part because the charges were not fresh.
The initial arrest took place in 2020.
In January of 2021, Ben was sentenced to 18 months of probation.
On February 7 of this year, he was scheduled for a probation violation hearing.
It is reported that Ben was a no-show in court, prompting the judge to issue a bench warrant.
That bench warrent is what in turn led to Ben's arrest on Tuesday.
It is unclear how he violated his probation ... however, even without seeing the conditions of his sentence, fans are already guessing.
Ben almost certainly filmed for the show during that time.
We're no big city geography experts, but Peru is definitely not in Oakland County, Michigan.
Generally speaking, someone on probation must receive permission to leave the district before doing so.
While a quick trip to Peru might have gone unnoticed by the court, Ben's trip has been seen by millions of viewers.
That said, we are leery of jumping to conclusions.
It is possible that Ben was not barred from leaving the country, and that the (alleged) parole violation was something else.
Of course, we still have another question.
Why did Ben allegedly skip out on a parole violation hearing?
Is it possible that he did not know that it was taking place? Did he miss a letter?
Infamously, it is not uncommon for people to not see when they are summoned to court or even facing criminal charges.
Fans and viewers who have witnessed Ben's eccentric behavior and odd way of thinking cannot rule out that Ben's motive could be stranger than we could imagine.
He does at times seem unfamiliar with some nuance within society, due to being raised within a cult.
Ben has also multiple times expressed a belief that divine providence will see him through on any path, which one imagines could lead him to make a mistake.
Interestingly, Ben and Mahogany appear to still be together.
In fact, Ben and Mahogany were spotted together again in Peru in February, though it was unclear if they were filming again.
Did Ben violate his parole by visiting her in Peru? He may have missed court to visit her a second time.