Laura Michelle Owens, a 35-year-old Arizona woman previously charged with deceiving Clayton Echard, a former reality TV star from "The Bachelor," has now been indicted on additional felony charges involving another alleged paternity fraud case, FOX 10 Phoenix reports. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell's office disclosed that Owens, who was earlier indicted on similar accusations tied to Echard, now faces seven new charges related to a separate claim of feigned pregnancy following a brief dating scenario with a second, unnamed victim.
According to the details released by authorities and azfamily.com, the recent indictment includes charges of perjury, fraudulent schemes, identity theft, forgery and theft by extortion; Owens reportedly dated the latest victim in 2021 and after a third date when the relationship ended, she declared her pregnancy which she later tried to substantiate with forged documents including another woman's ultrasound image, these documentations were allegedly altered to support her false claims of paternity.
The cascade of legal challenges for Owens began earlier this year when she filed a lawsuit claiming child support from Clayton Echard, famed for his appearance on "The Bachelor's" 26th season, prosecutors say Owens dropped the lawsuit alleging a miscarriage after providing "several inconsistent statements" in court, in a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix during a prior indictment, Owens contended the accusations were the result of "coordinated harassment, misinformation, and public pressure" emanating from a paternity case.
While Owens maintains her innocence, claiming abuse and intimidation by a group dubbed "Justice for Clayton," which included a public death threat against her mother and multiple false welfare checks leading to public release and misuse of bodycam footage for humiliation purposes, she now faces 14 felony charges across both cases with the trial pertaining to the allegations involving Echard slated to begin in January 2026, in a candid sit-down interview with FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum after Owens' first indictment, Echard expressed a “sense of relief” that legal proceedings were moving forward, "now the county attorney will fight her. We don’t have to fight her anymore," Echard said.
