Cashel Barnett, a 34-year-old former "Love Island" USA contestant, has been arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah, on charges of domestic violence and assault stemming from an alleged incident involving his ex-girlfriend. Barnett, who appeared on the first season of "Love Island USA" in 2019 and "The Challenge: USA" in 2022, was booked into jail on Monday, May 19, 2025, after a felony arrest warrant had been issued the previous week.
The charges against Barnett include felony aggravated assault, felony domestic violence in the presence of a child, and two counts of misdemeanor assault. These charges were filed by the Salt Lake City District Attorney's Office following a police investigation into the alleged incident, which reportedly occurred on April 10, 2025.
According to reports, the victim, who is the mother of Barnett's one-year-old child, told police that she and Barnett got into an argument. She attempted to hug him to calm him down, but he allegedly slapped her arms away. As she walked away, Barnett allegedly picked her up by the neck and threw her onto the bed. The woman further claimed that Barnett strangled her with both hands until she nearly lost consciousness. She stated that he "applied continuous pressure of eight out of ten, during which time she was unable to breathe and her vision went blurry." Following the alleged strangulation, Barnett is accused of slapping her in the face and saying, "You're fine."
The alleged assault occurred in the presence of the couple's one-year-old daughter. The victim reported experiencing difficulty breathing and various symptoms of neck and throat injury, including nausea, vomiting, agitation, amnesia, memory loss, visual changes, and headache. She reported the incident to the police on April 24, two weeks after it allegedly occurred.
Based on the police report, the District Attorney's office requested a warrant for Barnett's arrest with no bail, asserting that he "would constitute a substantial danger to the alleged victim of domestic violence if released on bail." A non-bailable warrant was subsequently ordered by the court. Barnett turned himself in to the police on Monday after the warrant was issued.
Barnett is currently being held without bail in the Salt Lake City jail. A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday to determine whether bail will be granted. Authorities have indicated that additional charges may be filed against Barnett as they investigate another serious accusation of violence made by the same victim. His lawyer has confirmed the arrest but declined to comment further on the case.
