Fans of The Challenge have called out cast member Nelson Thomas after it was revealed he was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated the night of his March car crash.
The multi-time finalist was involved in a scary wreck in Texas earlier this year, where he was saved from his burning vehicle by several passers-by traveling in an Uber ride.
Following the accident, he spent significant time in the hospital for multiple injuries, the most serious of which was his ankle.
Recently, Monsters and Critics reported about Nelson’s latest recovery update, where he told how his doctors gave him the option to amputate his ankle based on it not healing correctly.
He previously also revealed that a GoFundMe campaign had been set up by a friend after his crash to help him obtain money for his extensive medical bills.
However, many fans now feel duped by that campaign, claiming they donated in good faith before realizing Nelson’s accident was due to an alleged DWI.
Nelson Thomas arrested for DWI following his scary crash
Based on court documents confirmed by Monsters and Critics from Travis County, Texas, Nelson’s arrest for driving while intoxicated happened on September 28.
Nelson’s mugshot and additional details about his case were shared via the Vevmo forum, which Monsters and Critics confirmed via official Travis County documents.
Monsters and Critics reviewed the affidavit and arrest warrant in Nelson’s case, which provided additional details about his crash on the night of March 6.
It told how an officer observed a man lying on his back at the scene of the accident, “bleeding from his mouth.” The officer observed the man “had blood all over his pants.”
The document also states the officer observed three witnesses who helped rescue the man from his car and stayed with him on the scene, including NFL player KJ Osborn. Per the document, “EMS arrived and began treating the injured male. He was later identified as Thomas, Nelson.”
The officer on the scene said they observed Nelson with “bloodshot, glassy eyes,” and when asked, Nelson admitted he’d consumed “2-3 mixed alcoholic drinks.”
Later at the hospital, an officer spoke with Nelson again, and “This time [the officer] detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from [Nelson’s] breath,” per court documents.
At the time, an officer could only conduct one required Standardized Field Sobriety Test due to the extent of Nelson’s leg injury.
That officer “formed the opinion that Nelson was intoxicated, having lost the normal use of his mental and physical facilities due to the introduction of alcohol into his system,” the affidavit and arrest warrant stated.
While Nelson was initially arrested that night for DWI, he was released due to requiring treatment for his injuries. A blood sample was obtained that night. A June 8 search warrant was issued to release the results of Nelson’s test. The results reportedly indicated he had a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.178, which is above the legal driving limit of 0.08 in Texas.
A warrant for his arrest was then issued on June 29.
On July 13, The Challenge star was granted a request for a $5,000 bond. His attorney indicated in a motion related to the bond that the “Defendant is dealing with a serious medical condition in which he does not have full mobility of one of his legs” but “is eager to get this warrant taken care of.”
The Ashley Reality Roundup, who was the first to break the news of his arrest, also revealed Nelson’s mugshot was taken on September 28 before being posted online.
Nelson has a November court hearing for his case
Multiple official court documents reviewed by Monsters and Critics show the various updates from Nelson’s ongoing case for his DWI arrest.
They include Nelson requesting a change to his bond conditions earlier this month, where he asked the court to remove a requirement that his vehicle have an Ignition Interlock Device (IID).
Based on the court documents, Nelson indicated he did not have a car and did not have access to one to drive. On October 16, a judge approved his request to remove that requirement from his bond conditions.
As seen in court documents, Nelson’s next court hearing is scheduled for Thursday, November 16.
Fans call out Nelson for GoFundMe campaign
The recent revelations about Nelson’s alleged DWI after his car crash have left some fans upset and feeling deceived by The Challenge star.
Many took to Nelson’s latest post, which is an Instagram video post showing more of his recovery during stem cell therapy treatments.
On October 30, Monsters and Critics obtained screenshots of some of the comments from his recent IG post. As of this writing, he’s since turned the IG comments off for several of his latest posts.
Although he has not yet been found guilty, many people took to the comments to express their frustrations that he hadn’t revealed the DWI allegations when the GoFundMe was launched.
Many comments, which can’t be shown here for legal reasons, were from people who criticized him for asking for donations when he knew the DWI allegations had been made against him. Others said they hoped he would “refund everyone who donated.”
“You better go ahead and turn the comments off,” one person wrote, acknowledging all the negative comments.
In March, Monsters and Critics told how the GoFundMe campaign was created by Nelson’s friend after The Challenge star revealed his car crash on social media.
Nelson also shared the campaign link on his social media, as well as the various updates about his difficult road to recovery over the months following his accident.
In addition, several of his Challenge castmates also asked fans to help Nelson, if possible, by donating to his GoFundMe.
As of the time of writing, the GoFundMe page is still active and shows that $58,673 has been raised out of the campaign’s $200,000 goal.
The Challenge: Battle For a New Champion airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.