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Erika Jayne was spotted spending time with lawyer Jim Wilkes, who is also rumored to be her financial backer, in Las Vegas over the weekend. And just as photos of the two of them at Caesar’s Palace surfaced online, news of his April arrest did as well.
As the 51-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was photographed walking with Jim, 72, in Sin City, where she’ll begin her residency in August, it was noted that Jim was recently arrested for “shooting a gun in a domestic dispute.”
On May 29, The U.S. Sun revealed that Jim is facing criminal charges after allegedly firing two shots in his home amid a domestic dispute on April 10 with a woman who has not yet been identified.
Days later, on April 13, the Tampa Bay Times confirmed Jim is facing a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor battery.
Earlier this week on Twitter, after commenting on the RHOBH star’s supposed date with the attorney, Ronald Richards shared his mug shot.
Following the April incident, Jim told authorities that the unnamed woman struck him in the head, prompting him to grab his handgun so she couldn’t do so first. He then said he fired one round into a bed and a second into a wall in a bathroom to frighten her and put an end to the dispute. Meanwhile, she claimed she hit Jim after the shots were fired and he threatened to kill her.
At the time of the encounter, it was noted that the woman could face prosecution as well, although it is unclear if charges were ever filed against her. Instead, it was stated that a protection order allowed police to remove the remaining guns and ammunition at Jim’s home.
“He was attacked, and he was defending himself. That’s the extent of it,” Jim’s lawyer, Ronald Kurpiers II, told the Tampa Bay Times.
While the woman was not named in the report, Jim is currently in the midst of a messy split from estranged wife Trista Tauchas, who he has a restraining order against.
A divorce hearing has been scheduled for July 26 between Jim and Trista, and the additional case against him is ongoing.
As RHOBH fans may recall, Jim is said to have been a “longtime associate” of Erika’s estranged husband, Thomas Girardi, 83. Jim gave nearly $500,000 to Erika in the midst of their divorce.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 13 wrapped filming earlier this month and is expected to begin airing later this year on Bravo.