Former Bachelorette contestant arrested in Florida for child abuse

A former contestant on The Bachelorette was arrested in Florida on 15 possession of child sexual abuse material.

Joshua Tylerbest, 27, who appeared on season 17 of The Bachelorette, which aired in 2021 and Katie Thurston, was charged last month in Miami-Dade court, records show.

An investigation was opened on March 26, 2022, according to an arrest report by the Miami police. The upload of 50 images of child sexual abuse material was recorded on an online account registered to Tylerbest.

A search warrant on Feb. 23 this year led police to discover 15 files on Tylerbest's phone that met the criteria for child sexual abuse material and he was arrested on 15 counts of possession of sexual performance by a child, the report said.

He was released later after posting $5,000 surety bond, online court records show.

He entered a plea of not guilty earlier this month and is due in court in June.

NBC News reached out to his lawyer for comment.

Tylerbest has not commented publicly on the charges and his Instagram account appears to have been deleted.

During his stint on The Bachelorette, he was eliminated during Week 4 of the season. He was 25 when he was on the show, described as an IT consultant from Miami, according to his bio on ABC's website.