‘Home Alone’ Star Devin Ratray Pleads Guilty to Domestic Violence Charges
Devin Ratray, the actor best known for playing Kevin McCallister’s brother Buzz in Home Alone, has pleaded guilty to two charges of domestic violence stemming from a December 2021 arrest.
According to court records obtained by People, Ratray pleaded guilty to one count of domestic assault and battery by strangulation and another count of domestic assault and battery. The plea deal will keep him from serving time in prison.
Ratray was arrested in December 2021 after a physical altercation with his then-girlfriend in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. According to the police report, the actor’s girlfriend claimed she and Ratray got into an argument at a bar, which later turned physical when they got back to their hotel.
“Mr. Ratray threw her on the bed and started strangling her and used his other hand to cover her mouth so she could not breathe. She said she bit his hand and he punched her in the face. She rolled off the bed and left the room,” the report stated.
At the time, local news outlet KFOR reported that the probable cause affidavit stated that Ratray told his girlfriend, “This is how you die,” while he strangled her.
Ratray eventually turned himself in weeks after the alleged incident. He was booked on the two charges and released from jail on a $25,000 bond.
As part of his plea deal, the actor was ordered to take behavior intervention plan classes and must undergo drug and alcohol assessment. He was also ordered not to contact the woman he pleaded guilty to assaulting.
It was previously reported by TMZ that Ratray’s court hearing had been delayed after the actor was hospitalized “in critical condition.” The reason for his hospitalization was not disclosed, but he has since been released and recovering at home.
The domestic violence arrest brought back to light a 2017 rape allegation against Ratray. Lisa Smith, who filed a police report in 2017 claiming Ratray raped her, spoke to CNN following the domestic violence incident. In her interview, she said she reached back out to the police to find out why her report was never investigated.
Ratray has not been charged in relation to Smith’s allegations and has denied the accusations.
Best known for his role in Home Alone and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Ratray continues to have a career in acting. He most recently appeared in episodes of The Tick, Russian Doll, Chicago Med, and Better Call Saul.