KENOSHA, Wis. – A Kenosha couple recently featured on the reality TV show Bar Rescue is now making headlines for a very different reason.

Paid Advertisement

Nicole Lehman, 42, who appeared on the popular show alongside her longtime boyfriend James Pruett, was criminally charged Wednesday following an erratic domestic incident at their shared residence in the Village of Somers. She was released later that day after posting bail and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday at 1 p.m.

Paid Advertisement

According to a criminal complaint, deputies with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office responded to the home Tuesday afternoon after a 12-year-old child reported that Lehman was intoxicated and causing disturbances. By the time deputies arrived, Pruett had a bloody lip and a wet spot near his crotch, which he attributed first to water and then to milk. He denied being assaulted but confirmed that Lehman was “drunk” and throwing objects around the house.

Paid Advertisement

Deputies attempted to speak with Lehman, but she repeatedly refused to come to the door, shouting through a pane of glass that they were not permitted to enter without a warrant. As officers continued efforts to de-escalate, she abruptly disappeared from view. Her daughter later informed deputies that Lehman had contacted someone to pick her up and was now hiding in the woods. Deputies then learned Lehman had broken out the rear window of the home, climbed through it, and fled on foot.

Paid Advertisement

Using a phone location tracker provided by the daughter, deputies confirmed that Lehman was no longer inside the residence. A K-9 unit was deployed to assist in the search. The dog, Riv, quickly picked up Lehman’s scent and led deputies through a wooded area behind the home. The trail crossed a creek and County Highway A before continuing deep into the Pets Park woods. About 200 yards from the residence, Riv became visibly excited and lunged toward a dense patch of underbrush, where deputies found Lehman lying face-down in the foliage, attempting to conceal herself. She was taken into custody without further incident.

Paid Advertisement

She now faces charges of disorderly conduct (domestic abuse), obstructing an officer, and misdemeanor bail jumping. The latter charge stems from her alleged violation of bond conditions from a previous March arrest—also stemming from a chaotic domestic call at the same address.

Paid Advertisement

In that earlier incident, Lehman was described by deputies as “highly intoxicated” and “agitated.” She allegedly refused to come out of her room, ultimately emerging wearing only a bedsheet, which she dropped, walking around nude in front of her minor daughter and deputies. After refusing commands and reentering her room—where a firearm was believed to be—Lehman had to be physically removed, carried out of the house, and placed in a squad car while screaming and thrashing.

Paid Advertisement

Pruett, the owner of Interlude II in downtown Kenosha, which was featured in a recent Bar Rescue episode, has not been charged but was arrested Tuesday. Deputies found probable cause to refer charges of obstructing/resisting and disorderly conduct against him, though prosecutors had not filed formal charges as of Wednesday evening.

Paid Advertisement

The duo’s appearance on Bar Rescue had painted a picture of transformation and second chances for the downtown tavern. But the back-to-back domestic calls involving alcohol, fleeing police, and violence present a sobering contrast to their made-for-TV makeover.

Court records show that Lehman’s bond in her March case prohibited alcohol use and violent contact with Pruett—terms prosecutors say she violated this week.

She is expected to appear before the intake court Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m.