DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — A former “Survivor” contestant has been charged in Virginia with grand larceny, authorities said.
Jonny Fairplay, who while competing on the show in 2003 became known for orchestrating a lie that his grandmother had died, was charged after a silver necklace and furniture were taken from a residence, the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office said. Also charged was Fairplay's mother, Patsy Terry Hall, 68, the Danville Register & Bee reported Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office said Fairplay’s aunt filed the complaint, according to TV station WSET. Sheriff’s office officials would not say who lived at the home, according to the Register & Bee. Investigators say the the duo are accused of taking various items, including a silver necklace valued at $5,000, a leather desk chair worth $750 and three bar stools valued at $900 at a home on Ferry Road in Pittsylvania County between Oct. 7 and Oct. 11.
Fairplay, 46, and Hall turned themselves in at a magistrate’s office Friday after Danville police served them warrants, a police spokesman told the newspaper.
“I (we) have been unjustly charged by a family member. I welcome the opportunity to vindicate myself (and my mother),” Fairplay wrote in a message to The Associated Press on Wednesday evening.
Recently, the reality television personality recalled the impact of his controversial storyline on “Survivor.” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“The ‘Dead Grandma’ lie is still considered one of the greatest moves in the history of not just Survivor, but reality television as a whole,” Fairplay recently told Entertainment Weekly. “I wanted to bring an outside element to the game and create the first reality villain. There had been ‘bad guys’ prior to me on reality TV, but they never sought out that personification. They claimed bad editing or creative storytelling. I embraced the role and reveled in it.”
Fairplay is now a realtor with Hauser Realty Group in Danville.
No trial date has been scheduled.
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