Former 'American Idol' Contestant Ron Bultongez Arrested On Charges For Alleged Sex With A Minor
Former American Idol contestant Ron Bultongez has been arrested on charges for alleged sex with a minor.
The 25-year-old, who made it far in the competition series in 2018, was arrested in Grapevine, Texas. According to TMZ, he is said to have turned himself in on July 15.
He is being charged with four counts of sexual penetration of a minor under the age of 17. The charges are said to be stemming from four different occasions. The incidents occurred between December 2020 and February 2021, according to the Tarrant County DA's Office's charging documents, TMZ reported.
Bultongez was released from custody after posting a $50,000 bond a few days later and has reportedly not been to court yet. It is also not clear if he entered a plea.
A hearing has been set for August 13, In Touch reported.
Bultongez released his single "Get Back Up" last year, after announcing he was working on his debut album. He was previously dropped by Hollywood Records and Sony RCA UK.
"American Idol has helped me connect with more people. But on the negative side, it showed me a lot of parts of the industry that aren’t so fun," he previously told the Dallas Observer of taking a more grassroots approach to releasing music.
"I was tied down for about two years," he explained, noting he was sitting on more than 100 unreleased songs. "Those post-TV show contracts are brutal. I dealt with a bunch of crap that kept me from releasing anything."
“I think we can all agree that we've really fallen down, and I just think this record is really timely because we're all looking for a way to get back up now," Bultongez said at the time of the single's release. "I think the best way to do that is to extend a hand to one another.”
Bultongez made it all the way to the Top 24 of the singing competition before he was eliminated.
