John Jefferson
Jennifer Bertrand (Business of Design podcast/YouTube).
A former HGTV star was a bit too aggressive in the school pickup line, police say, allegedly hitting an employee with her Porsche — and now there’s a warrant out for her arrest.
Jennifer Ann Bertrand, 50, won the third season of HGTV’s “Design Star” — a reality competition for interior designers — in 2008. But on Aug. 20, Bertrand was less of a designer and more of a mom in a hurry, Missouri cops allege.
A Platte County Sheriff school resource officer wrote in a probable cause arrest affidavit that an employee wearing a bright safety vest was in charge of pickup line traffic at a Kansas City-area high school. Bertrand allegedly tried to drive her black Porsche through the school line and past other cars, nearly hitting one. The employee stopped her, explaining she had to wait along with the other parents. But Bertrand said she had to pick up her child for an appointment.
The employee told her to go to the back of the line.
Instead of acquiescing, Bertrand allegedly pushed her Porsche forward, hitting the employee in his right leg and causing him to lose his balance. While the victim was not hurt, Bertrand allegedly “began laughing and arguing with him.” The victim said she told him “Don’t act like I hit you” and “I’ll see you in court.” The allegedly dismissive designer hit the man a second time, police say. School surveillance cameras reportedly captured the whole incident.
“I believe the defendant poses a danger to the crime victim or society because the suspect struck an innocent person with her vehicle, and did not sure any concern for his safety, or the safety of children or other pedestrians,” cops wrote.
On Friday, the Platte County Sheriff’s Office charged her with second-degree harassment, a misdemeanor. A judge signed the arrest warrant. As of this writing, Bertrand had not yet been arrested. There was no attorney listed in court files.
After she won the reality competition, she went on to host her own show on HGTV called Paint Over, her website said. She describes her style as a “no-nonsense, accessible approach to making positive and impactful design changes without breaking the bank.”
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